English cricket supremo Richard Thompson lays out his masterplan to take the game to the next level after a seismic first full year as chairman of the ECB

Richard Thompson looks back on a seismic first full year as ECB president with all the energy and enthusiasm that made him England cricket's leading administrator.

“I'm convinced we have momentum,” says the man tasked with steering the game through a modern minefield of conflicting interests.

“For me, this job is about strengthening the game – the provinces, stakeholders and giving players confidence in what they do, while ensuring we seize this moment for cricket. It is the fastest growing team sport in the world and we must reflect that.

'We have to be as ambitious as possible and set ourselves very high goals. Things that will stretch us. But we must never forget what is important. It is an extraordinary game – a national asset like no other. We are just custodians of it and the responsibility as president of the ECB is huge because you know the impact cricket has on people's lives.”

It has been, even by cricket's always dramatic standards, a momentous 2023. From the huge high of an epic Ashes, for both men and women, to a hugely disappointing Men's World Cup and the desperate off-field low point in which Thompson apologized on behalf of English cricket for racism appears historically entrenched in the game.

Throughout, the man who did so much to create the Surrey juggernaut during his 12 years as chairman of the Oval has been at the forefront of English cricket's balancing act.

Not only between the interests of the provinces and the national team, but now also from the ever-growing threat of franchises to the primacy of the international game. And the delicate puzzle that the ECB's innovation, the Hundred, fits into.

Thompson, 56, spoke to Mail Sport to look back at what has been achieved so far in his 15-month spell at the helm, and look ahead to what comes next.

“I recently saw on BBC Sounds that of the top 25 downloaded clips of the year, 24 were Ashes coverage, which is extraordinary,” Thompson said. 'It shows the power and appeal of our sport.

'I know there was criticism about holding the Ashes in June and July but it turned out that if football doesn't suffocate us we can control the summer and you would have to have been living in a cave not to know which men and women they were. playing in an Ashes series during those two months. It felt like 2005 again.

“We managed to bring the crowd along and even though we didn't win, it was a remarkable series and we were privileged to be part of it. The boy's job was to come from two down, draw and if not for the Old Trafford weather, probably win.”

The giddiness of the Ashes and what Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum brought to the Test team was in total contrast to the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket. It made, says Thompson, “very uncomfortable” reading.

“We had to deliver the ICEC report and that was obviously a very big moment,” he says. “Hopefully we have navigated this well, but we still have some way to go to deliver the changes called for in the report – but we are committed to that change. We kind of have a new board and a new board and those things take a while.

'Working again with Richard Gould (ECB CEO) I feel that the leadership at the ECB will now make a very big difference in the direction we want to go. And doing things well and correctly to become the most inclusive team sport in the country. That's so important.'

To do things well and correctly, a decision must also be made in 2024 about the future of the competition that continues to divide opinions within cricket like no other. Thompson, a major critic of the Hundred when he was at the Oval, now sees it as integral to the future of the game.

“There are fourteen domestic leagues around the world that have tripled in size in recent years and we need to have the next biggest after the IPL,” Thompson insists. 'Otherwise we are looking at a loss of income that we cannot compensate in any other way.

'Perhaps people don't realize that one of the biggest reasons for getting the Hundred was because we are so dependent on bilateral international cricket for our income and that will only become less of that in the future with the emergence of more and more cricketers . domestic competitions and the introduction of a World Cup every year. England needs world-class domestic competition.

“I know I have history with the Hundred and I think I was worried it would cannibalize the T20 Blast,” says Thompson.

“And if you took Blast revenue out of most provinces, you'd put them out of business tomorrow. This year we put a lot more effort and energy into the Blast and it was probably one of the most successful tournaments we've had.

“We've found a way to deliver the Hundred without cannibalizing the Blast. The newly formed PGC and RGC have made a big difference through the delegated authority to plan the domestic fixture list, among other parts of our game.”

The Hundred, Thompson confirms, will only get bigger. “I have made it clear that I don't think the governing body should sell the whole tournament because you are selling the summer, but we are looking at ways to monetize the teams,” he admitted.

“We are working very closely on this with the provinces to look at ways in which we can co-own the teams and generate significant capital that can be reinvested into the game. That moment is now and after next year the Hundred could look very different.

'The Hundred's financial benefits will be felt throughout the match and that will make a big difference and support the balance between red and white ball.'

But does it remain a unique format? Mail Sport reported in April that the Hundred could return to the original intention of an elite T20 competition, at least at the end of the current broadcast deal with Sky in 2028.

Thompson is noncommittal. “There are no plans to change the format in the short to medium term,” he says.

The problem, as always, is where everything fits. “We need to find a better structure,” Thompson said. 'But I wouldn't want to speculate about what it will bring.

“I would prefer that we don't reduce the amount of T20 and red ball cricket. It's a real challenge to continue with the volume we have and we have a duty of care to our players. They play more than any other country.”

That challenge, Hundred's opponents believe, will have a domino effect on the future of the 18-county system. It is no secret that many counties are struggling financially and Mail Sport reported this month that the ECB should support Yorkshire. Thompson, a great champion of the provinces, offers support but also a warning.

“We are very aware that a number of provinces have been struggling, but fortunately we have had a very important year and we have been able to provide them with financial assistance, which we will always try to do,” he said. 'But to do that, they have to be solvent.

“We don't want any provinces to go bankrupt and we will do everything we can to help them. When provinces face challenges, we will always support them and under my watch that will certainly be the case.

'But we cannot guarantee the survival of a country if the ECB is the bank of last resort. We need to find ways to support and assist counties and find new revenue streams so that cricket can thrive and be relevant wherever it is played.”

This compelling character remains adamant that the future is bright. Multi-year central contracts have been introduced to stave off the threat from franchises and Thompson is confident leading players will want to continue playing for their countries.

“The bar is high,” Thompson adds. 'A total of 3.1 million people watched cricket this year, which is a record in a non-World Cup summer, and ticket sales for next year's Tests against Sri Lanka and the West Indies have gone through the roof. A women's international has already been sold out, which has never happened before.'

In 2024, we have a mouth-watering Test series in India and a T20 World Cup to maintain. You think it's not an Ashes summer, but then you think there's actually so much going on. We have wind in our sails and also good will. We need to keep that going by doing simple things well and having the ambition and intention to take the game to the next level. We are going to stand behind ourselves and believe in the power of this great game.”