Cricket lawmakers MCC relax bat rules amid worldwide run on willow Sport Business The soaring cost of English willow has forced cricket’s lawmakers the MCC to rewrite their rule book and allow the use of previously-banned laminated bats. Top-of-the-range Grade 1 bats have more than doubled in price to around £1,000 over the last decade, fuelling fears that swathes of would-be cricketers are being priced out. Those concerns [...]
Sussex CCC forced to prove financial stability after ECB loan Sport Business Sussex County Cricket Club will need to prove their financial stability to the England and Wales Cricket Board after entering into an agreement with cricket’s governing body. The three-year financial framework agreement will see the county receive a points deduction ahead of the 2026 season, a suspended fine of £100,000, and a further suspended points [...]
Tottenham chiefs lobby Uefa to increase Champions League squad size Sport Business Tottenham Hotspur are lobbying Uefa to increase Champions League squad sizes after Thomas Frank was forced to drop Mathys Tel for the second time this season. Tel, who joined the club in a £30m deal last summer, was cut from Tottenham’s squad before last week’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund to enable Dominic Solanke’s return [...]
England cricket chiefs refusing to let counties blow Hundred cash on wages January 21, 2026 The England and Wales Cricket Board is at loggerheads with a number of counties who are growing increasingly frustrated at delays in accessing the proceeds from the £520m sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises last year. While the ECB have already distributed tens of millions of pounds from the sale to counties with [...]
Hundred: Barclays replaces Tyrrells as London Spirit front-of-shirt sponsor January 19, 2026 Banking giant Barclays has replaced Tyrrells crisps as the front-of-shirt sponsor of Hundred franchise London Spirit as new investors flex their new-found power. The upmarket crisp’s parent firm KP Snacks signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the eight Hundred franchises, using brands such as Hula Hoops and Butterkist to occupy prime advertising real estate. But [...]
England cricket fans rivalled players’ drinking during Ashes, data reveals January 15, 2026 The England cricket team’s alcohol consumption on the ill-fated recent Ashes tour may have grabbed the headlines but new data reveals their supporters matched them drink for drink. Figures collated by Revolut and shared with City AM show that spending in Australian bars, nightclubs, restaurants and other venues by British visitors and expats reached £6.9m [...]
Exclusive: Hundred investors in power struggle with counties January 15, 2026 The honeymoon period for some Hundred franchises following their windfall from overseas investors appears to be over, with relationships between counties and the new co-owners at multiple teams described as “fractious”. Sources with knowledge of the power struggle told City AM that “culture clashes” between investors, mostly from India and the US, had led to [...]
Does predictability of Ashes dilute cricket’s crown jewel for fans and sponsors? January 8, 2026 And there it is. Another Ashes over, another series defeat for England down in Australia. Brendon McCullum’s side may have ended their winless run at the MCG in one of the two-day Tests but the overall picture remains the same. It’s almost predictable; England head Down Under full of optimism and come back with their [...]
SA20 future in doubt as Big Bash sale process squeezes cricket investment January 7, 2026 The SA20 franchise tournament is facing an uncertain financial future amid the threat of fresh competition for funding from Cricket Australia’s Big Bash, which is preparing to sell off stakes in its franchises to private investors later this year. All six SA20 franchises are owned by Indian Premier League teams, many of whom have expressed [...]
Reading owner Rob Couhig considers selling training ground to raise funds December 31, 2025 Reading owner Rob Couhig is considering radical measures including downgrading the club’s Academy or selling the training ground to increase the funding he can make available to the first team. The American, who paid around £25m to buy the League One club from Dai Yongge at the end of last season, has been an outspoken critic of [...]