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Giles Clarke: All we used to hear about was Australia, now everyone looks at how England have done it

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Giles Clarke is making a serious point — ‘If we do not have an outstanding England team then everything else falls apart’ — when he becomes distracted. The captain of that team, Andrew Strauss, has just reached a significant milestone before us at Lord’s.

‘There’s Straussy’s double hundred,’ says the chairman of the ECB with boyish enthusiasm. ‘It’s his first one and you and I can say we were there. Just like we were there in Napier when he scored 177 against New  Zealand.  I think we are probably the only two people who were present to watch both his two biggest knocks.’

Our interview is then interrupted for a burst of applause from the ECB’s top man and it seems rude not to join in. ‘No doubt he will tell me all about this  but he’s very modest.

Lord of Lord's: Clarke has played an important role in turning round England's fortunes

He won’t be excessively noisy. Straussy’s a good man,’ adds Clarke before we return to business.

Somehow it seems symbolic Strauss, the man who has done most on the field to take England to the top of the cricketing world, is raising his arms aloft while playing for Middlesex yesterday as Clarke is reflecting on the tumultuous journey off it.

Fine form: England captain Andrew Strauss hit a double hundred for Middlesex

The chairman would be entitled to make his own gesture towards those of us who have questioned him at the controversial moments of his eventful five-year tenure at the top of the English game, but he is in no mood to settle old scores.

Throughout our near  two-hour conversation Clarke is determined not to say anything that might suggest he was taking credit for the substantial achievements that culminated with England defeating India 4-0 to become the No 1 ranked Test side.

It’s a team effort, insists the chairman, but he captains that  off-field team. And it’s fair to say that he can be a very attacking, aggressive captain.

The man who was at the centre of the Allen Stanford debacle that brought humiliation to English cricket is as secure in his role as ever and is expected to be  re-elected unopposed for a third term next year.

The counties backed Clarke when the American he had got into bed with was revealed as a fraudster and the chairman has repaid them by overseeing the tremendous improvement throughout the domestic game. English cricket has rarely been stronger.

‘We are all proud about what has happened,’ said the man who made his fortune selling Majestic Wines and Pet City, and who remains an active businessman despite seeming to spend most of his time working unpaid in cricket.

‘The key is that it’s  a wonderful team achievement by a vast number of people. You also have to look at the quality of the relationship now between the England team and the counties producing those players.

For county and country: Craig Kieswetter has played a key role for England's One Day side as well as Somerset

‘I do believe the counties are behind England. I was at Somerset the other day and they told me they weren’t happy that they might lose two of their players (Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler) to England when they are in the Champions League but we need to win the World Twenty20 next year and if the selectors determine that a certain player is needed for his country then England has to come first.

A successful England team fuels the funds that ensures the whole game prospers. The balance is fair.

‘We will not stay at No 1 unless the conveyor belt is really strong. When one goes about the counties I find it fascinating to hear about the quality of the 16-, 17- and  18-year-olds coming through.

‘We have shown what we can do if there is a shared focus across the country. I’m hugely encouraged England is now the place everybody is looking at to know what to do. For so long all we used to hear about was the Australian way.

In form: Jos Buttler and Somerset just missed out on the T20 Title

‘Our game has come such a long way in such a short space of time and if we continue to invest as we have done in coaches, the Chance to Shine programme and the county clubs I think we can go from strength to strength.

‘We have a dressing room at international level now that is a welcoming, focused and united place. That environment wasn’t always as conducive to success as it is now. English cricket is in a good place and in good heart.’

But hang on. It’s not completely rosy in the English garden, is it? Clarke is still embroiled in a  libel action brought by sports management giants IMG that has already seen £1million in costs racked up for the ECB liability insurance to cover.

There are genuine concerns about the viability of Cardiff and the Rose Bowl as international venues after their losses staging Tests against Sri Lanka earlier this summer, while debt is a constant companion for many counties.

Issues: Clarke does have concerns about visibility issues at The Rose Bowl and Cardiff

Intriguingly, those counties who Clarke says are so supportive of the England side are believed to be keen to gain a bigger slice of the profits being generated by that international success and the lucrative broadcasting deals that have been masterminded by Clarke. There are clearly  challenges ahead.

‘We are a long way from where we want to be and we have a lot of work to do, I understand that,’ says Clarke. ‘The England team are successful and our grounds are getting better and better but we have to get rid of the debts that have been incurred in the investments that have been made.

‘It’s a long road but if we look at where we were when the ECB started in 1996 to where we are now, we have clearly come a long way. We were bottom of the world rankings in 1999 and the World Cup we staged that year wasn’t our greatest hour but we will never let that happen again.’

I have often wondered what Clarke’s motivation is. Why a man who has been so successful in life would want to take on all the  hassle that is involved in running English cricket. With no financial rewards either.

Not all rosy: Clarke does haves some issues at the ECB, including being embroiled in a libel action brought by sports management giants IMG

Clarke, who is organising a celebration for everyone involved in taking England to the top, clearly loves the game but why put up with all the aggravation? Is it an ego thing?

‘My wife has certainly questioned whether it is all worth it,’ says Clarke, smiling. ‘You have bad days when the team have lost but then you think about being in Melbourne, Sydney, at The Oval and Lord’s for those big victories and they are such wonderful moments. You can’t buy those experiences.

‘I’m extremely bad at losing and I don’t ever want to be any good at it but my absolute motivation is to make sure this is a happy, healthy, properly funded game with more people playing it, men and women, able-bodied and disabled.’

On top of the world: England celebrated winning the World Twenty20

But does it not hurt to have  people like me calling for your head after the Stanford affair? ‘Criticism doesn’t hurt,’ said Clarke, who confirmed for the first time that his long-term ambition is to become president of the ICC.

‘No-one should do this role if they are a sensitive soul. Nobody is interested in a good news story about a sports governing body. The satisfaction is private. When you see the England team doing well.

Women's world: England captain Charlotte Edwards celebrates the Women's Twenty20 World Cup Final

When you go to a small club on a Wednesday night and see 80 kids at the nets and you know the ECB have funded those nets.  Seeing a Twenty20 game at a full ground. That’s what matters.

‘Lord MacLaurin was someone who very much encouraged me to become involved in cricket administration way back and he said to me, “You won’t get paid and you’ll get a lot of abuse”, neither of which was wrong. But I think it’s right that I’m not paid. You can never be accused of doing anything in your own interests.’

So what comes next? ‘We have a scheduling challenge in the domestic game, no question, and it’s one of the things David Morgan is looking at in his review of county cricket,’ said Clarke.

‘We need to ensure our grounds are in excellent financial and  physical shape and we need to win our first 50-over World Cup.

‘We also have to defend our World Twenty20 title and the ladies will have to win the Ashes back. To consistently be the best in the world we will have to do all that. Then I’ll be a happy chairman.’

No pressure, then.

  More... Patel and Bopara lead England to victory over India after Dernbach's four-wicket haul KP feels force of revved up Broad as England batsman is hit in the throat by bouncer Nixon relishes dream victory after helping Leicestershire beat Somerset in final England 'rest' star batsman Pietersen for India one-day series








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