Comment: ECB gamble with future

Cricket's £220million broadcasting deal is undeniably good news for the nation's No1 summer sport now and for the rest of this decade.

The money, spread across four seasons starting from 2006, is way beyond what seemed likely even a couple of years ago and represents a 10 per cent increase, in real terms, on the current package.

It means the 18 first-class counties can breathe a collective sigh of relief - especially those who regularly struggle to make ends meet even with the £1.3m annual handout they receive from the England and Wales Cricket Board - safe in the knowledge their immediate futures are secured.

There are those, of course, who believe that if the Derbyshires and Leicestershires of this world went to the wall, cricket in this country would be no worse off. Indeed, it might be improved.

But Lord's are committed to keeping their 18 "centres of excellence", believing that gives them the best chance of producing a few more Andrew Flintoffs and Michael Vaughans.

The multi-million pound question today, though, is not how cricket will spend its wealth but whether enough youngsters will want to be the next great all-rounder or England captain.