ECB: £2.5m Glamorgan payment 'did not lack legitimacy' - review

Sophia Gardens hosted the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final

The England and Wales Cricket Board's £2.5m payment to Glamorgan did not "lack legitimacy", an external review has found.

The payment was received in return for Glamorgan not applying to host Tests between 2020 and 2024.

Two ECB non-executive directors stepped down in protest over the issue.

A review by the Good Governance Institute (GGI) found no evidence "the decision and the payment lacked legitimacy or legal compliance".

It also found no evidence that "the conduct of the ECB is in contravention of its Articles of Association".

Concerns over the payment led to the ECB meeting with the 18 first-class counties, which in turn led to the review being commissioned.

Surrey chairman Richard Thompson and former Somerset chairman Andy Nash quit as non-executive directors.

The GGI said: "Whilst there are a number of important issues which require reflection and action by the new board of the ECB, in the light of this review, there are no issues of breach of formal policy or procedure which require action against individuals.

"The review finds no evidence of failure to fulfil fiduciary requirements, no decisions which reflect conflicts of interest or failure to provide appropriate levels of leadership."

However, it set out 11 recommendations for the newly independent ECB board to implement.

Lord Patel of Bradford, a senior independent director on the ECB board, said: "This has been a valuable look at the way we have handled a significant matter for cricket and has given us important guidance for the way we should work within the game."