Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves admits the county will this week consider cost savings but are not about to make “swingeing cuts”.
After hugely disappointing attendances for last week’s second Test between ‘hosts’ Pakistan and Australia at Headingley, Yorkshire have conceded job cuts may be in the offing.
But Graves made it clear that – although a further announcement can be expected after a board meeting on Wednesday – he does not anticipate dramatic measures.
“We don’t see swingeing cuts at all – there is no alarmism here,” he said.
“As far as we are concerned, we can take some cuts out of our business – we have already looked at it.
“We had a board meeting last Thursday while the Test match was going on, anticipating what was going to happen.
“We are a long way down the line – and when we have the board meeting (this week) we will finalise those. But there won’t be swingeing cuts.”
When it was first announced Pakistan – unable to play in their home country because of last year’s terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore – would instead ‘host’ Australia in England, it was hoped the British Asian population might come out in force.
However, the ground was barely a third full for most of a match which lasted only into the fourth morning.
“I think we expected them to be using credit cards in January, February, March,” added Graves.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t. But they also didn’t turn up on the day – which was a surprising thing, from our point of view.”
The ticket price of £30 was questioned in some quarters. Asked whether that might have been too expensive, Graves conceded: “People say that might have been the case.
“We don’t think it was – £30 is way under any other Test match ground in the United Kingdom."
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