After all the discussions and disagreements regarding the number of central contracts awarded by the English Cricket Board, it has emerged that the proposals to offer 20 contracts from next year might be scuppered by financial difficulties. Only last week the first-class counties agreed to an increase from 12 contracted players to 20, leading to an outlay of £3.85 million, some £600,000 more than at present.

But now ECB chief executive Tim Lamb has admitted to the Daily Mail that there are further costs to be taken into account. "The counties are behind the principle but they've told us to go back to them with more detailed costings," Lamb said. "The original figures don't include the likes of National Insurance, pension contributions and other benefits normally associated with employment.

"We may also have to take on extra staff to handle the players' employment and the counties are acutely aware there is not a lot of money in the game at the moment. In fact, the ECB are expected to lose money this year."

It's not been a good week for the ECB. On Friday, Surrey chairman Mike Soper, who is standing against Lord MacLaurin to become the new head of the board, revealed that he was considering streamlining the organisation to cut costs. This was denied by Lamb who insisted that there were no such plans.

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