English cricket is set to get a massive monetary boost from the UK government in the annual budget due to be announced on March 03. According to a UK Telegraph report, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is likely to get ‘10s of millions of pounds’ from the government under the provisions of a 300 million pounds package by the government to save summer sport in the country.
Earlier, the ECB had informed the government of its financial constraint in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The board had informed that the projects planned for the development of the game at the grassroots level will face financial cuts as the board is focusing more on helping the counties that are struggling from the wrath of the pandemic.
The ECB had also warned the government on the lack of funds for the development and propagation of women’s cricket in the country.
The county clubs and other professional sporting bodies that faced a lot of losses due to pandemic will be prioritised for capital infusion under the provisions of this new financial package. The Telegraph further reported that the money granted to the ECB, and the other sporting bodies will be allocated through an independent board led by a former chairman of Barclays Bank, Sir Ian Cheshire.
The funds the ECB will get from the government will also help them in the arrangement of bringing the fans back into stadiums from this summer which begins with a Test series against New Zealand.
UK’s chancellor of Exchequer, Rishi Sunak too expressed enthusiasm about the financial aid to the ECB and English cricket and said that the summer in the country has always meant watching the England teams play in front of the fans.
“As a huge cricket fan I know there’s nothing that says summer more than watching your favourite team. I can’t wait for sports grounds to be filled with fans with atmosphere again – this £300m cash boost will help make that a reality,” Sunak was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.