Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
ENGLAND and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has dismissed suggestions the governing body wants to cut any of the 18 first-class counties adrift as a "totally mad conspiracy theory".
With the global growth of lucrative franchise leagues and their knock-on effects on the domestic schedule, fears have been raised that the ECB would prefer a streamlined and more cost-effective county set-up.
But Gould, speaking at the ECB's domestic season launch at The Oval on Tuesday (2), said there were no plans to reduce the number of first-class counties, which has stood at 18 since Durham joined the County Championship in 1992.
"It's a totally mad conspiracy theory," said Gould, who contrasted how English football and rugby union had seen clubs go out of business in recent years with the relative stability of county cricket.
"I've been in the game 20-odd years and that conversation has always been around, but we're the one professional sport that hasn't lost a club," he said.
"You look at rugby and football, we've done extremely well as a sport to maintain that 100 percent record and that's where our intent lies."
The majority of the first-class counties are member-owned clubs and Durham chief executive Tim Bostock caused widespread anger by suggesting members were "Luddites" holding back the progress of the English game.
But former Surrey chief executive Gould said: "They are not comments that I would recognise or agree with.
"The depth of our talent pool, both in terms of men and women, is our superpower at the moment."
Gould said the ECB were open to private investment in the Hundred, the board's eight-team, 100-balls-per-side competition.
"We will work that one through -- our interests won't just be with IPL franchises," he said.
"We have got a lot of interesting sports owners from the States and from this country."
However, Gould does not expect the Board of Control for Cricket in India to lift its ban on Indian players appearing in the Hundred and other overseas leagues.
"It's not something that we are working into our proceedings," he said. "They (the BCCI) have got a dominant global position there, and they want to try and make sure they can retain that.
"Indian broadcast money generally follows Indian players. The BCCI and the IPL have just said, 'No, we want the IPL to be the number one global tournament.
"In order to do that, we need to make sure that we rely on our strengths which is the size of our market and the quality of our players'."
Debt interest payments rose to £9.7bn, up £3.8bn from a year earlier.
Borrowing for the first six months of the financial year hit £99.8bn.
Public sector debt now stands at around 95.3% of GDP.
UK GOVERNMENT borrowing in September reached £20.2bn, the highest September total in five years, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
That was up £1.6bn from September last year. Higher debt interest payments offset increased receipts from taxes and national insurance, the ONS said.
Borrowing over the first six months of the financial year stood at £99.8bn, up £11.5bn from the same period last year.
September’s figure was slightly below some analysts’ expectations of £20.8bn but just above the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March projection of £20.1bn.
The government paid £9.7bn in debt interest in September, up £3.8bn from a year earlier. Public sector debt is estimated at 95.3% of GDP.
Capital Economics chief economist Paul Dales told the BBC’s Today programme the chancellor would "love tax receipts to be higher" but that it would depend on faster growth in the economy.
Capital Economics projects the government will need to raise £27bn in the Budget, with "higher taxes on households having to do the heavy lifting". Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said the government would "never play fast and loose with the public finances" and aims to reduce borrowing to cut "costly debt interest, instead putting that money into our NHS, schools and police".
Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said borrowing was "soaring under this Labour government" and that "Rachel Reeves has lost control of the public finances and the next generation are being saddled with Labour's debts."
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.