Lord Patel formally approved as Yorkshire chairman

He received overwhelming support from the club's members at an extraordinary general meeting, receiving 932 votes in his favour and 155 against

Lord Kamlesh Patel has been formally approved as Yorkshire chairman at the club's extraordinary general meeting on March 31.

He received overwhelming support from the club's members, with 932 voting for his chairmanship and only 155 voting against. There were also 22 abstentions.

Lord Patel was appointed chairman in November 2021 in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq scandal and tasked with reshaping the culture at Headingley.

However, his tenureship to date has been complicated, with two previous attempts to hold an EGM cancelled and ex-chairman Robin Smith, who remains a vice-president at the club, publicly labelling Lord Patel's appointment invalid.

On the eve of the EGM, the ECB put their support behind Lord Patel, with board member Martin Darlow commenting: "I firmly belive that Kamlesh is the right person to lead Yorkshire to a new future. With a strong team supporting him and a clear path for the future change, the club can unite again."

^{The EGM was held at Headingley [Oli Scarff/Getty Images]}

At the meeting, members were asked to vote on Lord Patel's appointment as chairman, the validity of his appointment, and to approve structural changes to board membership to allow more independent directors to sit on the board.

All three resolutions were passed, meaning the club has met the ECB's conditions for the return of international cricket to Headingley.

A total of 897 members voted in favour of the second resolution, with 182 against and 28 abstentions.

Meanwhile, 927 members voted in favour of structural changes, with 159 against and 19 abstentions.

As a result, up to six non-executive directors can now be appointed to the board, with the aim of reflecting the communities across Yorkshire, while two member representatives will also join the board. Member nominees will be presented at the club's AGM.

Reacting to the results, Lord Patel said: "We welcome the outcome of this EGM and thank the members for their full and proper consideration, an open exchange of views, and their votes. It is an overwhelming vote for positive change.

"This support will help Yorkshire County Cricket Club to be an inclusive and welcoming place and gives us the clarity and certainty we need to keep building this great club.

"Yorkshire has now met the ECB’s conditions for the return of international cricket and, working with them, we’ll deliver some great events here at Headingley this summer.

"We’re looking forward to the start of the season, for all our teams and for cricket at all levels right across this county."

"It is an overwhelming vote for positive change"

Lord Patel

An ECB spokesperson added: "We are pleased that Yorkshire members have given their overwhelming support to these reforms. This is an important step forward in bringing about real change and setting the club on course for a more inclusive future.

"We welcome the progress made by Lord Patel so far, as well as his commitment to making the club one which everyone, from all backgrounds, can be proud of. With these governance reforms now having been passed, we are satisfied that international cricket can now be staged at Headingley this summer.

"However, there is much work still to be done at Yorkshire and it is important that the plans set out so far are now delivered. We will continue to monitor progress closely.

"Our regulatory investigation into the complaints brought by Azeem Rafiq, which is separate to this process, remains ongoing and we will update on this in due course."

Headingley will host a Test match between England and New Zealand, scheduled to begin on June 27, and an ODI against South Africa on July 24.