An Ashes Summer and a £50 Million Hole – whats ailing ECB
England will host the Ashes in 2027 and could still lose £50 million. This sounds rather intriguing and needs deep dive; in a sense, it might just reveal more about any argument about whether Test cricket is dying. The grounds could be full and the cricket could be magnificent, but the ECB could still have a very bad year. The board’s audited accounts had already warned of a significant loss in a summer without a home men’s series against India. The reported ICC decision to hold back part of its distribution adds a second hit, with the amount still uncertain.
We need to break this down to understand what role India plays in world cricket. Is this a cyclical event and do broads plan for it that way? Or is the impact of own leagues like the Hundred. Lalit Modi challenged the Hundred’s investor projections in 2024, including an assumption that international TV rights would climb from £2.1 million in 2024 to £34.8 million by 2032. The ECB recorded a £522.3 million gain on the sale of Hundred team stakes and £12.6 million in after-tax profit excluding the sale gain. The board committed the sale funds to reinvestment across the game and excludes them from its ordinary reserve policy. The transaction can help a county pay down debt and lower its future interest bill.
The Modi argument though was that the Ashes and India tours were what made the wider cricket package compelling. His warning about The Hundred was a call on what broadcasters would pay for a young league. The ECB made profits in the previous two home Ashes years, 2019 and 2023. So an Ashes summer can pay its way; but in 2027, the missing India tour coincides with the reported ICC holdback and a higher spending base, including larger commitments to counties and women’s cricket. So that seems to be the crux of the issue.
World cricket seems to be poised at an interesting stage : India supplies the audience and England, Australia help supply the contests that make that audience come back. The BCCI has a commercial interest in keeping those rivals strong enough to invest in players, grounds and domestic cricket. Protecting the goose means protecting the contest. The ICC meanwhile, is doing what has been ignored for a long time – opening up the game in markets like China. When you look at this like a business proposition, it is the balancing of short term versus medium term priorities.
So how do we now address this ? The calender must give major reciprocal tours dates that boards, venues and broadcasters can plan around several years ahead. Keep enough space for full Test series and resist the temptation to add a few more white-ball matches every time a board has a hole to fill. India’s calendar is valuable partly because its biggest visits still feel like occasions. Then use India’s influence at the ICC to make distributions more predictable. The BCCI’s share in the current cycle is 38.5%. It has the standing to push for a transparent payment schedule and a reserve that can smooth a down year, with any support tied to actual commitments to stage cricket. Apply the same rules to every board. England and Australia also have work to do on their own costs and how much of their bumper-year income they put aside. India should help cricket find new audiences and make sure there are still rivals worth getting up at five in the morning to watch.
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