ECB appoint Lord Kamlesh Patel as first ever British Asian director in bid to break social barriers and grow the game

  • English Cricket Board has appointed Labour peer Lord Kamlesh Patel
  • He will be the first ever British Asian to become a director on the board
  • ECB is bidding to grow interest by encouraging all forms of the game

By Charles Sale for the Daily Mail

Published: 13:00 EST, 7 July 2015 | Updated: 17:19 EST, 7 July 2015

The England Cricket Board are appointing a British Asian director for the first time as part of an ambitious campaign to grow the game in new areas and across social barriers.

The official announcement on Tuesday of cricket enthusiast Labour peer Lord Kamlesh Patel of Bradford becoming an independent member of the 14-strong board coincides with England starting the 69th Ashes series against historic opponents Australia, but with the ECB committed to being anything but traditional in improving participation.

Lord Kamlesh Patel has been appointed as the first ever British Asian director on the ECB

Lord Kamlesh Patel has been appointed as the first ever British Asian director on the ECB

This includes supporting every version of cricket whether played in the back streets, local park or even on one of Britain’s many beaches in the knowledge that drastic action has to be taken to stem the rapidly declining numbers playing 11-a-side cricket . 

Also it will be stressed that it’s the game of cricket in all its forms that is being encouraged rather than English cricket so that no nationality feels disadvantaged.

Human rights spokesman Lord Patel , a keen club cricketer in the Bradford leagues and a Yorkshire academy coach , is seen as a crucial asset in helping ECB to unite communities, particularly Asians in becoming fully involved in cricket. 

England head coach Trevor Bayliss with Alastair Cook (right) during a nets session ahead of the Ashes

England head coach Trevor Bayliss with Alastair Cook (right) during a nets session ahead of the Ashes

 

Tennis is one sport that has benefited from the IMG takeover by American talent agent Ari Emanuel’s William Morris Endeavor. 

Emanuel has made big cuts elsewhere in the sports management business but is spending money on tennis, with new deals or partnership agreements with Petra Kvitova, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Eugenie Bouchard, Madison Keys and Nick Kyrgios.

John McEnroe saying Nick Kyrgios is great for tennis doesn’t say much for a sport if it needs an arrogant, foul-mouthed, obnoxious Australian to boost interest. 

This lauding of Kyrgios, who showed his true colours with his truculent attitude in the press conference after his defeat by Richard Gasquet, certainly doesn’t please top British coaches, who see him as the worst possible role model for youngsters. 

British coaches believe that Australian bad boy Nick Kyrgios is the worst possible role model for youngsters

British coaches believe that Australian bad boy Nick Kyrgios is the worst possible role model for youngsters

If McEnroe thinks that it’s great for the sport that a player, asked why he wasn’t returning services, replies: ‘I’ll give you the racket and we’ll see how many times you can return his serve’, then God help the sport.

 

The Wimbledon moderators who host the press conferences receive media training to prepare them for the role — and so should some of the players. 

Even Andy Murray, with all his experience, puts his hand in front of his mouth before answering questions as a kind of defence mechanism, although he takes his hand away before he speaks. 

Not so Aussie brat Nick Kyrgios, who basically speaks through two fingers to the media.

 

Why is the car a star?

The All England Club, who traditionally frowned on any form of commercialism, are now embracing it more by the year. Having said that, only relevant supply contractors have logos on the show courts — Slazenger (equipment), Rolex (timing), IBM (stats and service speed) plus Evian. 

Only relevant supply contractors, like Rolex (above), have their logos appearing on show courts at SW19

Only relevant supply contractors, like Rolex (above), have their logos appearing on show courts at SW19

Jaguar has also appeared at this tournament, although transport is nothing to do with court-related sponsorships. A spokesman said confusingly that Jaguar related to speed.

Meanwhile, the All England Club have had to reveal their astonishing £154m turnover from last year’s Championships because the tournament has been hived off as a limited company. But they have no intention of any extra transparency around their private members club business, which remains as secretive as ever.

 
Clare Balding (left) has taken critcism of her Wimbledon highlights show with good grace, unlike some...

Clare Balding (left) has taken critcism of her Wimbledon highlights show with good grace, unlike some...

Clare Balding has reacted to the savaging of her Wimbledon highlights show — now thankfully doing what it’s supposed to do from a proper studio after the weight of public opinion forced a rethink — with cheery good nature, at least in public. 

Not so BBC tennis executive producer Paul Davies, who admitted on his Beeb blog that he’s responsible for programme strategy. When he crossed paths with your Sports Agenda columnist on the outside courts, the snub was total and his anguished expression one of total disdain.

 

You would expect Wimbledon media centre to respect the minute’s silence to mark the 10th anniversary of 7/7. But two Italian journalists were talking throughout, saying afterwards that they did not understand English.

 

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