Middlesex hit with £50,000 fine and suspended points deduction for breaching financial rules

Middlesex have been hit with a £50,000 fine and a suspended points deduction after breaching financial rules.

The England & Wales Cricket Board have handed down the punishments following an investigation that found the county “has been financially mismanaged over a number of years and is in breach of the ECB financial regulations”.

The ECB will reduce its annual dividend to the club by £150,000, though £100,000 of that is suspended until 2025, while points deductions worth 24 points in the County Championship and two points in each of the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup will also be suspended for two years.

In addition, Middlesex will be forced to submit a business plan to the ECB which shows “sustainable year-on-year profit” and limits spending on players. The investigation found money from the governing body intended for use on development and recreational formats had been spent on the first-team.

“We have agreements in place with all our county cricket clubs and county cricket boards to ensure that ECB funding is used appropriately and for the purposes in which is it intended,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said. “Where breaches of our regulations and agreements take place, it is right that we take appropriate action.”