Middlesex urged to undertake review of culture and behaviour by Cricket Regulator

Middlesex County Cricket Club should undertake a formal review of its culture, governance and the behaviour of staff members, according to the sport’s regulator.

The club is awaiting the verdict of a Cricket Discipline Commission hearing after being charged with improper conduct by the Cricket Regulator last month. In September 2023 it was fined £50,000 and given a suspended points deduction by the England and Wales Cricket Board after being found guilty of spending central funding allocated for grassroots programmes on its first team.

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Separately, the Guardian has learned that the Cricket Regulator’s board asked two of its board members in September to review how the body handled complaints about the culture inside Middlesex.

The Cricket Regulator is the sport’s independent disciplinary and compliance body that was set up by the ECB after its governance system was criticised by MPs following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, giving it responsibility for monitoring and enforcing the game’s regulations.

In correspondence seen by the Guardian, the review group noted “issues of concern” regarding “the culture, behaviour and governance of the organisation”. Having already brought two charges against Middlesex within 12 months, however, the review group did not recommend further disciplinary action.

“The review group notes that there are issues of concern in respect of a number of parties involved with the ongoing situation at the club,” the Cricket Regulator writes. “We do consider that an institution such as the club would want to undertake a review to make sure the culture, behaviour and governance of the organisation are at the highest standards.

“We note that aspects of a member organisation’s governance are addressed not through regulatory processes, but through the grant agreements between the ECB and all first class counties. Nevertheless, we consider that MCCC will want to address the issues of culture, behaviour and governance.”

Middlesex are understood to have received complaints from current and former staff members over the behaviour of a senior member of their leadership team going back several years, but took no action.

After the complaints were passed to the ECB, the Cricket Regulator launched an investigation that resulted in Middlesex being charged with a breach of ECB Directive 3.3 – conduct “which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or groups of cricketers into disrepute”.

Under ECB regulations the Cricket Regulator cannot bring disciplinary charges against individual executives so the club were held to be liable for the alleged misconduct. After the charges were issued in June the individual concerned was not suspended and continued to work for Middlesex all summer.

Middlesex denied any wrongdoing and are confident of being cleared when the Cricket Discipline Commission issues its verdict. The club has not had any recent contact from the Cricket Regulator and is content with the processes it has in place. “Some people will always be unhappy, but our governance is in good shape,” Middlesex’s chief executive, Andrew Cornish, told the Guardian. “The compliance agreement we have with the ECB is working and we’re comfortable with them observing our board meetings.”