New Yorkshire chairman Lord Patel has reportedly threatened to quit the club, which is in the midst of a bitter civil war that threatens to derail any progress made in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
Patel was appointed chairman back in November after Roger Hutton resigned from the role and he has attempted to spearhead widespread change at the club, which included the sacking of Yorkshire's entire coaching staff. As a result of the scandal, the ECB banned Yorkshire from hosting "international or major matches", a move which Patel warned would leave the club facing a "major financial crisis".
However, the ECB announced in February that they had conditionally lifted Yorkshire's ban. That decision was, though, subject to the club voting through further reforms at a member's meeting by the end of March.
The club has been attempting to hold a member's meeting in order to do just that, but have seen two meetings scrapped due to 'procedural' issues. The meeting has been rescheduled for March 31 and if the reforms are not passed, the club risks their ban not being lifted.
Former Yorkshire chairman Robin Smith has been rallying against Patel, calling for him to step down and claiming his time in charge has been "riddled with mistakes and damage". Smith told the Daily Mail : "He should withdraw from the scene.
"His history, brief though it is, has been so riddled with mistakes and damage that his credibility has gone. Yorkshire deserves to have the very finest management and until it gets it I shall not give up.
"At the moment, I'm afraid it has got the worse management it has ever had in my lifetime. The club has reached such a pass in its affairs that it needs new leadership and also a new board because of the handling of the last few months."
In response, the Telegraph report that Patel has written to the ECB asking for their support and warning that he could quit as chairman. "Without firm formal support from ECB I am left wide open legally to be sued," Patel is said to have wrote.
"I cannot carry on in this position. I have now told YCCC that I will step down working seven days a week and simply do what I can pro bono (as hopefully the team can get on with the work needed).
"But the issue of Robin and his colleagues still remains and it feels like no one is prepared to tackle him? I believe that all his demands will not fulfil ECB conditions?
"However, if it allows the club to move forward properly I am more than happy to step away." A spokesperson for the ECB said: "The ECB board is deeply concerned about reports of division at Yorkshire CCC.
"Given all that we have heard from Azeem and others about the club, it has been absolutely clear that reform is needed. Lord Patel has set out a significant and serious plan to make Yorkshire CCC a modern and diverse club capable of representing and engaging all communities in Yorkshire.
"We want to see all parties work together to support Lord Patel in the reform package he has set out. It is not acceptable for anyone to stand in the way of progress at YCCC.”
