Richard Thompson reflects on a seismic first full year as chairman of the ECB with all the energy and enthusiasm that has made him the leading administrator in English cricket.
‘I’m confident we’ve got momentum,’ says the man charged with guiding the game through a modern minefield of conflicting interests.
‘For me this job is about empowering the game – the counties, stakeholders and giving players confidence in what they are doing while making sure we take advantage of this moment for cricket. It’s the fastest growing team sport in the world and we need to reflect that.
‘We need to be as ambitious as possible and set ourselves really high targets. Things that will stretch us. But we must never forget what’s important. It’s an extraordinary game – a national asset like no other We are only custodians of it and the responsibility of being ECB chairman is huge because you know the impact cricket has on people’s lives.’
It has been, even by cricket’s ever dramatic standards, a momentous 2023. From the huge high of an epic Ashes, for both men and women, to a hugely disappointing men’s World Cup and the desperate off-field low of Thompson apologising on behalf of English cricket for racism found to be historically entrenched in the game.
Richard Thompson has reflected on a seismic first full year as chairman of the ECB
An epic men and women’s Ashes was one of the momentous moments in cricket in 2023
Throughout it all the man who did so much to create the Surrey juggernaut during his 12 years as chairman at the Oval has been at the forefront of English cricket’s balancing act.
Not only between the interests of the counties and the national team but now from the ever-growing threat of franchises to the primacy of the international game. And the delicate puzzle of where the ECB’s innovation the Hundred fits in to it all.
Thompson, 56, sat down with Mail Sport to look both back on what has been achieved so far in his 15-month spell at the helm and forward to what comes next.
‘I saw on BBC Sounds the other day that of the 25 top downloaded clips of the year 24 of them were Ashes coverage which is extraordinary,’ said Thompson. ‘It shows the power and appeal of our sport.
‘I know there was criticism of holding the Ashes in June and July but it proved when we haven’t got football suffocating us we can own the summer and you’d need to have lived in a cave not to know the men and women were playing in an Ashes series during those two months. It did feel like 2005 all over again.
However, a hugely disappointing men’s World Cup was one of the low moments this year
‘We managed to take the public with us and even though we didn’t win it was a remarkable series and we were privileged to be part of it. It was boy’s own stuff to come from two down to draw and if it wasn’t for the weather at Old Trafford probably win it.’
The giddiness of the Ashes and what Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have brought to the Test team was in total contrast to the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket. It made, says Thompson, for ‘deeply uncomfortable’ reading.
‘We had to deliver the ICEC report and that was obviously a very big moment,’ he says. ‘Hopefully we navigated that well, but have some way to go to bring about the changes called for in the report – but we are committed to that change. We’ve got pretty much a new board and executive and those things take a while.
‘Working again with Richard Gould (ECB CEO) I feel now the leadership at the ECB will make a very big difference on where we want to take the game. And do things well and properly to become the country’s most inclusive team sport. That’s so important.’
In the aftermath of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of facing racist abuse at Yorkshire, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket launched a report into racism in cricket
Doing things well and properly will include, in 2024, deciding on the future of the competition that continues to divide opinion within cricket like no other. Thompson, a big critic of the Hundred while at the Oval, now considers it integral to the future of the game.
‘There are 14 domestic competitions around the world which has trebled over the last few years and we have to have the next biggest one after the IPL,’ insists Thompson. ‘Or we will be staring down the barrel at a loss of income we can’t find any other way of replacing.
‘Perhaps people don’t realise that one of the biggest reasons for bringing in the Hundred was that we rely so much on bi-lateral international cricket for our income and there will only be less of that in future with the rise of more and more domestic competitions and the introduction of a World Cup every year. England needs a world-class domestic competition.
‘I know I have history with the Hundred and I suppose I was concerned it would cannibalise the T20 Blast,’ says Thompson.
‘And if you take away Blast income from the majority of counties you’d put them out of business tomorrow. This year we put a lot more effort and energy into the Blast and it was probably one of the most successful tournaments we’ve had.
Thompson was a big critic of the Hundred while at the Oval, but now considers it integral
‘We found a way where we can deliver the Hundred without cannibalising the Blast. The newly formed PGC and RGC have made a big difference having the delegated authority to plan the domestic schedule among other areas of our game.’
The Hundred, Thompson confirms, will only get bigger. ‘I’ve made it clear I feel the governing body should not sell the whole tournament because you’re selling summer but we are looking at ways to monetise the teams,’ he admitted.
‘We’re working really closely on this with the counties to look at ways we can co-own the teams and how we can generate significant capital that can be reinvested into the game. That moment is now and after next year the Hundred could look quite different.
‘The benefits of the Hundred financially will be felt by the whole game and that will make a profound difference and will underpin that balance between red and white ball.’
But will it remain a unique format? Mail Sport reported in April that the Hundred could go back to the original intention of an elite T20 competition, at least at the end of the current broadcasting deal with Sky in 2028.
Thompson is non-committal. ‘There are no plans to change the format in the short to medium term,’ he says.
The Hundred, Thompson confirms, will only get bigger, as he also insists the tournament should not be sold on
The problem, as ever, is where everything fits in. ‘We have to find a better structure,’ says Thompson. ‘But I wouldn’t want to speculate on what will give.
‘I would rather we didn’t reduce the amount of T20 and red-ball cricket. It’s a real challenge to continue with the volume we have and we do have a duty of care to our players. They play more than any other country.’
That challenge will have a knock-on effect, detractors of the Hundred believe, on the future of the 18-county system. It is no secret many counties are struggling financially and Mail Sport reported this month that the ECB are having to support Yorkshire for one. Thompson, a huge champion of the counties, offers support but also a warning.
‘We’re very aware a number of counties have struggled but luckily we’ve had a really big year and have been able to provide financial help to them which we will always try to do,’ he says. ‘But they need to be solvent for us to be able to do that.
‘We don’t want any counties to go bust and we will do everything we can to help them. When counties have challenges we will always go to support them and under my watch that will definitely be the case.
‘But we can’t guarantee a county’s survival with the ECB as the bank of last resort. We’ve got to find ways we can support and help counties and find new revenue streams so that allows cricket to prosper and be relevant wherever it’s played.’
This engaging character remains adamant the future is bright. Multi-year central-contracts have been introduced to stave off the threat of the franchises and Thompson is adamant leading players will continue to want to play for their country.
‘The bar has been set high,’ adds Thompson. ‘A total of 3.1 million people watched cricket this year which is a record in a non-World Cup summer and ticket sales for next year’s Tests against Sri Lanka and West Indies have gone through the roof. A women’s international has sold out already which has never happened before.’
In 2024 we’ve got a mouth-watering Test series in India and a T20 World Cup to retain. You consider it’s not an Ashes summer but then you think actually there’s so much going on. We’ve got wind in our sails and goodwill too. We need to keep that going by doing simple things well and having the ambition and intent to take the game to the next level. We’re going to back ourselves and believe in the power of this great game.’
