A major review into equity within English cricket has delivered a stark verdict, revealing a profound lack of diversity in the sport’s most powerful county boardrooms. The findings indicate that efforts to improve ethnic and gender representation at the senior executive level have stalled completely.
The report, which assesses the state of equity across the game, shows that the demographic profile of chairs and chief executives leading the 18 first-class counties has seen no meaningful change since 2019. This stagnation persists despite sustained pressure for reform following high-profile racism scandals in recent years.
Currently, only one county chief executive, Yorkshire’s Sanjay Patel, comes from an ethnically diverse background. Similarly, ethnic minority representation among county chairs remains limited to a single individual. The picture for gender diversity is equally concerning. Following recent departures and appointments, there is currently just one woman serving as a county chair, with the number of female chief executives also remaining exceptionally low.
The report is part of a broader initiative launched to address deep-seated inequalities within the sport. While it acknowledges some areas of progress—such as improved talent pathways for young players and initiatives to grow the game in state schools—it identifies leadership as a critical failure point.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) itself has achieved greater diversity at its own board level, with significant female and ethnic minority representation. This stands in sharp contrast to the counties it governs. In a statement, the ECB’s chair reiterated an ambition to make cricket the nation’s most inclusive team sport but conceded that transforming the leadership of the county clubs remains a significant and ongoing challenge.
The report concludes that targeted interventions in recent years have so far failed to improve representation, identifying this as a key priority for the future. It underscores a widening gap between the sport’s public commitments to inclusion and the reality of its power structures.