‘No progress’: County cricket clubs are being criticized for their continued lack of diversity

The 18 first-class counties have been criticized by the England and Wales Cricket Board for not making any progress in increasing the ethnic and gender diversity of their senior leadership.

The annual State of Equity in Cricket Report published on Thursday, first compiled in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, shows that the representation of ethnic and female minorities among provincial chairmen and CEOs has declined since 2019, despite repeated calls for change from the ECB.

Yorkshire chief executive Sanjay Patel, who was previously chief commercial officer at the ECB and director of The Hundred, is the only county executive or chairman from an ethnically diverse background among the 36.

Lisa Pursehouse was long-time chief executive at Nottinghamshire but left the club in September, while Emma White was hired by Leicestershire the same month. Dame Sarah Storey was appointed interim leader of Lancashire in August. The report notes that in 2019 there were two female CEOs and one female chairman.

The publication of a State of Equity report was one of 44 recommendations from the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, which reported in 2023 after being set up by the ECB following Rafiq’s complaints about experiencing racism in Yorkshire. Although data from the ECB was used, the report was moderated by equality, diversity and inclusion consultant Sports Structures.

“There has been no progress on gender diversity in chairman and CEO roles in PCCs, and this is a key focus for the coming years,” the report said. “Ethnic diversity among chairman and CEO positions in cricket remains low, and interventions in recent years have not yet led to improvements in representation.”

The ECB has had more success in diversifying its leadership than the provinces: 42% of the governing body’s board of directors are women and 33% are ethnically diverse.

The State of Equity Report also notes that significant progress has been made in widening access to talent pathways in the province, introducing cricket to state schools and inner cities through increased funding from the ECB, and clamping down on discrimination through the establishment of an independent cricket regulator.

ECB President Richard Thompson said his ambition is to make cricket the most inclusive team sport in the country, but acknowledged there is still work to be done.

“Becoming the most inclusive team sport was an ambition that CEO Richard Gould and I set for the game, and I am proud that it has been our North Star since it was first proposed,” said Thompson. “There are many positives to think about, but we also recognize that there is much more to do, and there are areas where progress is more challenging.

“While I am excited to see many more women and ethnically diverse people as board members across the game, we must focus on representation in executive leadership roles to ensure they reflect the communities we serve.”