Andy Burnham has one urgent problem to repair and should intervene earlier than it is too late
JEREMY CROSS COLUMN Andy Burnham has a lot of issues on his ‘to do’ list now he has the most powerful job in the UK, but there’s one particular issue in the world of sport he must fix
14:00, 23 Jul 2026Updated 14:03, 23 Jul 2026
Andy Burnham(Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham’s ‘to do’ list will be longer than the queue of Aston Villa fans wanting to hand back season tickets, following the signing of Alejandro Garnacho.
Because the new Prime Minister has a broken nation to fix. But if Burnham can spare the time, he should write a letter to the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), demanding to know how those arrogant suits still deem themselves fit to run the organisation.
One so adept at shooting itself in the foot, it beggars belief it is still capable of walking into another self-inflicted catastrophe. You’d have thought the ECB would take some time off from being useless, in the wake of last winter’s Ashes debacle Down Under.
Ben Stokes
Not to mention this summer’s handling of the Ben Stokes affair. One which has resulted in Stokes standing down as Test captain and Brendon McCullum being sacked.
But those muppets, sorry, puppets pulling all the strings remain ensconced in their ivory towers at Lord’s HQ, plotting more madness and mayhem. Not content with making English Test cricket a complete laughing stock, the ECB have now decided to make mugs of supporters of the game as well.
The fixtures for next summer’s Ashes series on these shores have been confirmed. And unless you live south of Nottingham, the chances are you won’t get to see a ball bowled in anger. Apart from on subscription TV of course.
Headingley(Image: LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
England will begin their quest to win back the famous Urn at Trent Bridge in June. The following four Test matches will then take place at Lord’s, Utility Bowl in Southampton, Edgbaston and then the predictable finale at The Oval.
So two in London, two in the Midlands and one on the south coast. The ECB must have been living under a rock for longer than we thought.
Blissfully unaware of the fact both Headingley and Old Trafford have staged most of the greatest Ashes moments in history. Some people believe the 1981 Test in Leeds remains the greatest one of all time. When Ian Botham and the late Bob Willis defied logic and huge odds to win the game for England.
He’s got a lot of issues to deal with – but cricket is up there(Image: GETTY)
The innings Stokes produced at Headingley in 2019, meanwhile, is arguably the greatest one ever played by an Englishman. Across the Pennines in Manchester, Old Trafford was the place in 1956 where Jim Laker took all 10 Aussie wickets in the second innings to win the game. He’d also taken nine in the first innings.
In 1993 Shane Warne bowled the ‘Ball of the Century’ to dismiss Mike Gatting. While in the greatest series of all in 2005, 20,000 fans were locked outside as England somehow won the best Test match ever staged in Manchester.
The good folk of Yorkshire and Lancashire don’t agree on much. But there is no disputing both counties have hosted some iconic Ashes moments down the decades. More of them will not be added to the history books though, next summer.
Back in 2023, Burnham wrote to the ECB expressing his disappointment at the news no northern Tests would be taking place. He was Mayor of Greater Manchester then, but now finds himself in the most powerful job in the country.
And he has to intervene again. Because when it comes to cricket, the north/south divide remains alive and kicking. At the expense of two cricket grounds which have the best atmospheres throughout the land.
The battle for Rodri
Manchester City are doing their best to dig in and keep Rodri out of the clutches of Real Madrid. But good luck with that. Because history has proved that what Real want, they tend to get. This is the club that once swooped in and took Cristiano Ronaldo from the grasp of Sir Alex Ferguson.
No-one can blame City for wanting to hang onto Rodri for dear life. Because he is arguably the best footballer in the world right now.
Rodri lifts the World Cup(Image: Getty Images)
But the English outfit also have to be realistic. Real remain the biggest club on the planet, with a pull like no other. Elite footballers like Rodri should want to spend part of their careers playing at the Bernabeu, because nothing will come close to comparing to the experience.
Rodri has won it all in Manchester, and has now seen the great Pep Guardiola ride into the sunset. Which all adds up to a scenario taking place in the coming weeks which feels about as predictable as night following day.
