English cricket shows genuine progress, says new ECB report as it throws light on equity and inclusion as well.
New report says English cricket has made ‘genuine progress’ on equity and inclusion.
Although “genuine progress” has been achieved in the sport’s attempt to address its long-standing concerns of inclusion and equity, a new independent review of cricket in England and Wales notes that more work is required in a number of areas, especially at the top leadership level.
In response to the devastating 2023 report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), which concluded that racism, classism, misogyny, and elitism were “widespread” in the sport, the ECB commissioned Sport Structures to produce the State of Equity in Cricket Report.
That original report had concluded with 44 recommendations to the ECB, one of which was to publish a “full State of Equity Report every three years”. This latest document, 53 pages long, has been delivered a year ahead of schedule, with Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, stating that it was intended to “hold us to account” as cricket seeks to become the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales.
“Cricket is not yet where it aspires to be, but the tone has changed,” Kate Percival, Sport Structures’ CEO, said in a statement. “Inclusion is now seen as central to the game’s health and future.”
The study also mentioned a £50 million investment in facilities since 2023, especially in urban areas, including two all-weather cricket domes in Bradford and Darwen, as well as the creation of a new independent Cricket Regulator that is ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB.
The report noted that “further action” was needed at the senior level, with a particular lack of Black representation, despite improved representation at the board level (female non-executives at 37% compared to 11% in 2019 and ethnically diverse non-executives at 18% compared to 5% in 2019).