Yorkshire to appoint architect of the Hundred in Colin Graves' takeover

Sanjay Patel, the architect of the Hundred, is to join the Yorkshire board if Colin Graves’ takeover of the club goes through over the next few days.

Graves is close to completing a return to the club, revealed by Telegraph Sport last month, with a period of exclusivity coming to an end on Jan 5.

It is understood there remains one stumbling block with two members of the board holding out against Graves’s demand that the majority of directors resign. Graves is promising to replace both with new member representatives at the next annual general meeting.

Patel is one of two non-execs Graves intends to recruit along with Sanjeev Gandhi, who was previously a non-executive director at the ECB and on the original Hundred board.

Patel was appointed head of the Hundred by Graves when he was chairman of the ECB and only left the role at the end of last summer.

Yorkshire are on the brink of administration and have been searching for a buyer for more than 12 months. The club entered a period of exclusivity with Graves just before Christmas and sources have indicated he is ready to pump an immediate £4 million into Yorkshire to pay off creditors and inject capital into the club.

It is also understood that Graves will ask Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson to stay on along with vice chair Trevor Strain and another board member, Leslie Ferrar, but has demanded the rest stand down as a condition for him returning and delivering a bail-out package.

Graves is being advised by Andrew Umbers and Oakwell, a sports corporate finance company that has been heavily involved in rugby union, and edged out former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley in bidding for the club.

Graves’ return has been given the green light by the ECB but was criticised on Thursday by MP Clive Efford, a member of the DCMS committee that heard Azeem Rafiq’s testimony about racism at Yorkshire. “It’s a retrograde step and a disaster for cricket if the ECB allow it to happen,” he said. “I supported Yorkshire not being stripped of the Ashes Test match on the basis that they had taken major steps and seemed determined to move forward, but clearly I was mistaken.”

However, the club has been unable to attract any other serious offers apart from Ashley and Graves despite a global hunt for investment.

If the takeover goes through, Graves will begin an immediate financial review of the club’s operations including the playing department. His offer will be subject to approval by members at an EGM.