Yorkshire CEO bemoans no home Ashes or India Test on next tours
Last month England beat India by five wickets at Headingley
- Published
Yorkshire CEO Sanjay Patel has questioned Headingley being overlooked for hosting a Test with Australia or India in their next tours to England.
The county will not stage an Ashes Test in 2027 nor will England play India at the venue in 2029.
Headingley will be the only one of the main Test venues in the country not to host a game in the two standout home series.
Patel says missing out on those two huge games will create financial problems for Yorkshire.
"Unfortunately we don't get that opportunity again in the next five years which is really hurting us as a club, and hurts cricket in the region," he told BBC Radio Leeds.
Last month, Headingley was the venue for the first match of the current series between England and India.
More than 70,000 fans attended over the course of the match, which England won by five wickets deep into the last session on the final day as they chased down 371 in the fourth innings.
It was another memorable match at the historic ground, famous for its Ashes classics in 1981 and 2019.
"Headingley has a brilliant history of staging these games and that's another to add to the list," said Patel.
"Everyone can be very proud of the advert we put on for Headingley and cricket in Yorkshire."
Patel, who replaced Stephen Vaughan as the club's CEO last year, also said that the match produced a profit for the club in excess of £3m, a huge financial windfall.
"At the moment, we're heavily reliant on Test match cricket, particularly when you get an India or Australia," he said.
"You need to maximise the revenue opportunities that they bring because that helps you in your five-year cycle."
Chris Woakes and Mark Wood led England to a three-wicket win over Australia at Headingley in 2023
2027 Ashes series venues: Lord's, Kia Oval, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Utilita Bowl
2029 India series venues: Lord's, Kia Oval, Edgbaston, Emirates Old Trafford, Utilita Bowl
In the next home Ashes series in two years' time, both Headingley and Emirates Old Trafford will miss out, with Trent Bridge in Nottingham the most northerly venue in the five-match series.
In contrast, there will be two Tests in London at Lord's and the Kia Oval, one at Edgbaston in Birmingham and the Utilita Bowl just outside Southampton will stage one for the first time.
In 2029, Old Trafford will host an India Test instead of Trent Bridge, with Headingley again overlooked in the five-match series.
The venue will stage a women's Ashes Test in 2027, but that will not generate the same revenue as a men's Test.
'Desperately needed'
It will be the fourth time in the last seven Ashes series in England that Headingley has not been on the list, while the ground will only have staged two Tests against India in the last six home series since it was promoted to at least four Tests in 2011.
"We're incredibly disappointed," said Patel.
"The club has gone through a pretty turbulent time in the last three or four years and we desperately needed games like we had against India recently.
"It desperately needed an Ashes Test in '27 and another India Test in '29.
"At a time where we feel like we really needed help, we haven't been given those games.
"So we need to adapt to that and think about what that means to our business model and hopefully in the next cycle, the ECB are kinder to us and understand the strategic importance of cricket in Yorkshire."