Thu Nov 14 13:35:21 UTC 2024: ## New Independent Tribunal Takes Over Cricket Discipline in England
**London, UK** – Richard Whittam KC has been appointed as the chair of the newly formed Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP), taking over from the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) as the primary body for handling regulatory breaches in English professional cricket. The appointment was made by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) board for a four-year term, following an open recruitment process.
Whittam, a specialist regulatory and criminal barrister with a background in sport, brings extensive experience to the role. Having served as a deputy high court judge between 2016 and 2022, he was appointed as the Rugby Football Union’s Head of Independent Judiciary last year. He has chaired discipline, safeguarding, and appeal panels in rugby union since 2014 and is a member of the World Rugby and European Professional Club Rugby Judicial Panels.
The CDP will be responsible for presiding over disciplinary cases brought before it by the newly formed Cricket Regulator, a body established to monitor compliance with and enforce adherence to the game’s regulations on behalf of the ECB. The Cricket Regulator was a key recommendation from the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report published in June 2023, which highlighted structural inequalities in English and Welsh cricket across race, gender, and class.
The majority of cases brought to the CDP will relate to breaches of the ECB’s Professional Conduct Regulations, but will also include other regulations such as the Anti-Corruption code, Player and Match Officials’ Minimum Standards, Cricket Playing Conditions, and various other regulations.
Whittam expressed his delight at the appointment, stating: “It is vital to the integrity of cricket that the sport’s rules and regulations are upheld. As the first Chair of the CDP, I look forward to getting the Panel up and running and ensuring that cases are dealt with promptly, in a fair, thorough, and transparent manner.”
ECB chair Richard Thompson echoed these sentiments, praising Whittam’s background and highlighting the CDP’s importance in enforcing cricket’s regulations. He also expressed gratitude to the CDC and its chair, Tim O’Gorman, for their years of service in upholding the game’s rules.
The CDP will begin considering cases as soon as its members are recruited, marking a new era in cricket discipline in England. The panel’s independence and the experience of its chair are expected to ensure a fair and transparent process for dealing with regulatory breaches and upholding the integrity of the sport.
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