Middlesex fined £50,000 and deducted points suspended by ECB for breach of financial regulations | Cricket news

Middlesex were fined £50,000 and deducted suspended points for breaching financial regulations.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will cut payments to the London club by £150,000, with £100,000 suspended until October 2025.

Point deductions – the equivalent of one win each in the LV= County Championship, Metro Bank One-Day Cup and Vitality Blast – have also been suspended until October 2025.

The sanctions imposed on Middlesex follow a review of the funds given to the club and its Cricket Board, with Lord’s accepting they had been “subject to financial mismanagement over a number of years”.

The ECB will now oversee Middlesex financially, with the club needing to produce a written business plan for approval and monitoring, a plan that separates the core business of Middlesex from the Middlesex Cricket Board.

The financial plan will include budgets through to the end of October 2025 showing sustainable earnings on an annual basis, with spending limits on players.

“We have agreements in place with all county cricket clubs and county cricket boards to ensure that ECB funding is used appropriately and for its intended purposes,” said ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould.

“When violations of our regulations and agreements occur, it is right that we take appropriate action.

“It is important that all our members have the necessary governance arrangements in place to ensure that ECB funding is used appropriately.

“We will work closely with Middlesex County Cricket Club and the Middlesex Cricket Board in the period ahead to ensure that the terms we have agreed are met.”

Middlesex chief executive Andrew Cornish added: “Middlesex is determined to ensure that the future financial management and governance of the club is of the highest standard and we are determined to work closely with the ECB to ensure this is the case.”