English cricket to get new regulator as ECB admit Gale still hasn't paid fine
Former Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale has still not paid his £6,000 fine to the ECB for his role in the Yorkshire racism scandal despite landing a new job in Australia.
Gale announced on social media that he has taken the job of head coach of the male performance pathway at Cricket Tasmania in Hobart, his first job in the game since he was sacked as head coach at Yorkshire in 2021.
Accused of using racist language and bullying, Gale failed to engage with the investigation and refused to defend himself at the hearing before being sanctioned along with several other former teammates.
The 39-year-old would be unable to work in English cricket unless the penalties had been paid, but he has found a loophole that allows him to move on to another high profile role in the game without settling his fine. Even though it is a different governing body, there has been a quid pro quo between Cricket Australia and the ECB, where each board is supposed to honour the sanctions of another, however that has not been the case here.
Andrew Gale was sacked by Yorkshire and now has a new job in Australia (Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)"That fine has not been paid," said ECB chief executive Richard Gould. "We have not had any direct communication with Cricket Australia at this point. I suppose we have to focus on what we can control which is cricket in this country.
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"In the event that an individual has not paid their fine or done the appropriate training then they wouldn't be able to have a formal relationship or professional relationship with cricket in England or Wales, but let's see how this develops."
The fact that Gale has been able to circumvent the ECB's disciplinary process quite so easily is something to be addressed by a new Cricket regulator who will be appointed independently of the ECB to handle these issues going forward.
The new post is part of a raft of measures to be implemented by the ECB in response to the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report that includes more money for women's cricket; equality, diversity and and inclusion training across the game; more investment into state school cricket through charity partners; and ensuring a more equitable talent pathway for the game.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould has responded to the ICEC report (AFP via Getty Images)The measures will cost a significant sum of money running into the 'tens of millions' of pounds which will have to be found either from other parts of the game with cost cutting, or by increasing revenue through non-broadcast means.
"It will be in the tens of millions of pounds over the next couple of years and beyond," added Gould. "But these are the things we should be spending our money on. It's an investment. We should be spending our money on making sure that the game is as accessible and as welcome as it can be.
"That brings in new players, new volunteers. New workforce, it makes us a much richer sport. And I think this is where we're all going to take our responsibility extremely seriously over the next few years to make sure that we deliver on this."
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