Having been confirmed as Durham CCC chairman, Sir Ian Botham faces the unenviable task of trying to reverse the fortunes of a club burdened by financial troubles.
The situation came to a head when the county were relegated from the County Championship's top flight after accepting significant financial support from the ECB. But how did it come to that? What now for Durham? And are any other counties in danger?
Read on as we endeavour to provide you with the answers to those questions and more…
How did it come to this?
Durham are believed to have debts amounting to around £7.5m, with the local council and the ECB among those owed money. Last year, the ECB brought forward the payment of county clubs' annual fees to ensure that Durham remained afloat throughout the summer and also provided further loans to the north east club, reportedly worth up to £1m.
In addition to this, the ECB rescheduled the staging fee (£923,000) for the Riverside Test against Sri Lanka in May. Following a report in The Times, detailing Durham's debts and receipt of loans from the governing body in order for the club to remain viable this summer, the ECB released a short statement confirming the club may face sanctions.
What was the penalty?
While English cricket's governing body provided Durham with the finances to help ease their financial problems, it came at a cost. Given that a financial penalty would have been counter-productive in the extreme, the Riverside club were relegated to County Championship Division Two and will start the 2017 season on -48 points. They have also been given a four-point penalty for next season's NatWest T20 Blast and a two-point deduction in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
Who takes their place in Division One?
The chief beneficiaries of Durham's misfortune are Hampshire. The south coast county were beaten by Durham in the final game of the season and, as a result, finished eighth in Division One - some 45 points behind Durham. That should have seen them relegated to Division Two along with Nottinghamshire but Durham's troubles have seen them handed a reprieve.
Why were Kent not promoted?
A change to the format of the Specsavers County Championship from next season - eight counties will make up the top division with 10 competing in the second tier - led to the decision that two clubs would be relegated from Division One with only one going up, rather than the two up, two down of previous years.
The result was that Kent, who finished second in Division Two, missed out on promotion. When the prospect of Durham being relegated became known, Kent fans could have been forgiven for believing their side would take their place in Division One. However, the ECB have stuck by their decision to relegate two sides and promote just one, meaning Kent miss out.
The matter has remains open though with Kent having written to the ECB asking for independent arbitration of the decision.
What now for Durham?
As well as relegation and points deductions, Durham have been informed that their Riverside ground is no longer eligible to host Test matches, although they will still be allowed to apply to stage ODIs and T20Is.
From April 2017 until April 2020, the county must also adhere to a revised salary cap - determined annually - set by the ECB Board. That could see some of the county's big name players join Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick in heading for the exit. However, there is hope given that Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Keaton Jennings and Paul Collingwood have all recently signed new contracts to keep them in the north east.
Are any other counties in danger?
Durham are by no means the only county with financial troubles - Yorkshire, Northamptonshire and Glamorgan are among those known to have had similar problems. However, while the ECB has provided loans to other counties in the past, the amounts provided are dwarfed by £3.8m Durham will receive.
The issue for Durham is that while other clubs may have larger debt, they are also able to generate more revenue thanks to their location and through diversification - Lancashire's Old Trafford ground, for example, has staged both Rihanna and Beyonce concerts during 2016.
While many believe that the sanctions imposed on Durham were harsh, especially given the circumstances that led to their predicament, a season in Division Two with strict financial restraints is a reality they must accept.
The challenge for Botham is to help the county to overcome those hurdles and ensure that a club with three County Championship triumphs in the last decade are in a position to reach such heights again in the future.
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