ECB announces external review of Glamorgan payment

The ECB has bowed to increasing pressure and agreed to an external review of the process leading to the payment of 2.5m to Glamorgan. Barely 48 hours after dismissing calls for such an inquiry at a meeting of the county chairmen, the ECB has performed a U-turn which suggests chaos at the heart of the organisation.

While an ECB press release suggests the U-turn is the result of "time to reflect" on the request formally made by Somerset and Surrey on Monday, it may not be coincidental that the ECB's Audit, Risk and Governance committee met on Wednesday in order to sign off the accounts. With such a substantial and extraordinary payment having been made to Glamorgan - and the suggestion that further payments have been promised elsewhere - it is entirely possible the committee required more details before the accounts could be signed off.

"Following the ECB's meeting with the chairmen of the first-class counties and MCC on Monday we have taken time to reflect on this, as a Board," Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, said in a statement. "The Board agree that it will be valuable to have an external review into the process around the payment.

"I recognise there have been questions raised and, whilst answers have been provided, we are determined that the process is fully reviewed."

It was revealed several weeks ago by the Times that Glamorgan had received the payment in return for not applying to host a Test in the major match allocation that runs until the end of the 2024 season. While the ECB executive insists such payments were agreed, in principle, at a board teleconference in September 2016, the likes of Andy Nash and Richard Thompson, who have resigned from the board in recent days in protest at what they see as a lack of transparency behind such decisions, believe they required more detailed consideration. Both men claim such a payment amounts to favouring one county over others and conflict with the ECB's constitution.



The ECB has not yet published the terms of reference for the review. But while it is understood the county chairmen requested an entirely independent inquiry led by a respected QC, the ECB has appointed Good Governance Institute (GGI) and asked them to look only at "the process leading to the recent payment to Glamorgan". As GGI were employed by the ECB in a consultancy capacity as recently as the end of last year - they compiled a report entitled "Governance Improvement Programme" - one county has already raised questions over their independence and, as a result, their suitability for the task.

There is also concern over the breadth of the review. With several Test-hosting grounds believed to have budgeted for similar compensation payments - the suggested figure was 500,000 for every year they do not host a Test - some of the other counties want to know how they were led to believe such payments were likely. The ECB has agreed to take another look at the policy, but it is currently unclear whether it forms part of the GGI review.

"We need to know what other payments have been promised over the last few months," one county chief executive told ESPNcricinfo. "But this review does represent encouraging progress."

Hasan heroics trump Gul six-for as Quetta win

Quetta Gladiators 156 for 8 (Rossouw 27, Raja 22, Umar Gul 6-24) beat Multan Sultans 152 for 5 (Malik 65*, Maqsood 27) by two wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A thrilling contest got the finish it deserved, with teenager Hasan Khan smashing Kieron Pollard for six off the penultimate ball to sealing a much-needed two-wicket win for Quetta Gladiators. Multan Sultans had looked like they were slightly ahead for much of the Quetta's 152 chase, only to pipped at the end. This came despite a superb vintage performance from Umar Gul, who took 6 for 24 in his first game this season.

Multan's first innings total owed much to its skipper Shoaib Malik, who blazed an unbeaten 43-ball 65 after they had lost Kumar Sangakkara off the first ball. Quetta's bowlers kept the batsmen in check for the first 15 overs, Mohammad Nawaz and Rahat Ali in particular hitting their targets to ensure there would be no repeat of the massive total Multan amassed against Peshawar on Tuesday. But 57 were scored off the last five as Quetta, much like Peshawar, lost their discipline and composure towards the death overs.

Quetta's innings began on track before a quick double-strike by Gul removed both openers either side of the 50-run mark. The game remained evenly poised for much of the chase, but the early dismissal of an off-colour Kevin Pietersen was a huge blow for last year's finalists. Cameos from Rilee Rossouw and Rameez Raja Jnr kept them in the hunt, with Anwar Ali, and at the very end Hasan, sealing the win in a massive heist.

Where the match was won

While the early loss of their openers meant Multan spent their Powerplay regrouping, Quetta's opening pair gave them a fast start that kept them in touch with the asking rate for the best part of their chase. Shafiq and Watson put on 46 without loss for the first Powerplay, the most runs Multan have conceded in the first six so far. They may have lost both of them soon after, but the start meant they had a margin for error, and by the time the lower middle order began to regroup, the asking rate wasn't yet insurmountable. That was in stark contrast to Multan's first six. They were reduced to 3 for 2 by the end of the first two overs, and sent in Sohail Tanvir to try and up the ante. That didn't quite work either, and they ended up with 35 by the time the fielding restrictions were lifted. In a close contest, those 11 runs made all the difference.

The men that won it

Not many people get the chance to bookend a game like Hasan did. He took a catch to remove Sangakkara first ball at short midwicket. Nearly 40 overs later, he smashed Pollard for six off the penultimate delivery to seal a framatic win. He didn't have a great deal to do in the middle, but was stellar when called upon, conceding just nine runs in the two overs of left-arm spin he bowled. With the bat, he didn't even breach double figures, but his nine runs off three balls is guaranteed to be a more famous innings than the 65 Malik smashed earlier on.

Vintage Umar Gul

Gul rolled back the years with a scintillating performance, becoming only the second player in PSL history - after Ravi Bopara - to take six wickets in a match. It began with the removal of the openers, and he returned to remove opposition captain Sarfraz with the first ball of his second spell, swinging the game back in his side's favour. By the end of three overs, his figures read a mightily impressive 3-0-11-4. His last over was the definition of a mixed bag, as the two sixes he conceded brought Quetta right back into the game, although the two wickets he took - taking his tally to six and his overall T20 tally to 200 wickets - seemed to have edged Multan back ahead. You're unlikely to see a better bowling performance end up on the losing side all season.

Where they stand

Multan are still at the top of the table with nine points, but second-placed Karachi have two games in hand. Quetta, meanwhile, go from 5th to 4th, having won three of six games.