Captain Bligh of the ECB

Giles Clarke always seems to have the expression of a man who has just reversed his car over the family dog.  I quite enjoy bagging Clarke whenever he puts his head above the parapet, but to be honest the job that he is bungling is a pretty impossible one.  If I were in charge of English cricket, it’s quite likely I would carry the same look of morbid depression.

Whilst the nation is busy worrying about the reign of a grumpy Scotsman, as well as the rain over a small South American nation, Giles has been busy trying to stamp out open mutiny amongst the county ranks.

It’s no secret that the Test Match Grounds (Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Surrey, MCC, Glamorgan and Hampshire) are talking amongst themselves about ways to bolster their finances.  In the wake of the new bidding process for test matches, replacing the closed-shop allocations of old, these counties have spent lavishly on improvements to their facilities and are now worried about how they might actually pay for it all.

One of the suggestions that has been doing the rounds like a hungry mongrel at dinnertime is the introduction of Twenty20 franchises in the style of the IPL.  Hampshire have already announced their “alliance” (some would say illicit affair) with Rajasthan Royals, whilst Warwickshire had been considering a similar deal with Kings XI Punjab before Modigate.  There was also the MCC’s ill-fated plan to bid for an IPL franchise – presumably they had run out of manilla envelopes.

Clarke’s response to all this has been swift (for him) and stern.  He has banned these counties from meeting together without representation from the other 9, and has threatened to get very cross indeed if they go ahead with further franchise arrangements.

Most impressively, he has agreed to set up a working party to improve cricket’s finances, which shows that he really is taking this jolly seriously.

As you may know, I like to make foolhardy predictions, so here is another for you: this isn’t likely to deter the counties, and it would be no surprise to see an attempt at a Premier-League-type breakaway before too long.

Exciting and turbulent times lie ahead.  Let’s just hope that Clarke & Chums don’t accidentally throw English cricket into reverse.

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