New Cricket Discipline Panel Members Appointed

Chair Richard Whittam KC has appointed 14 new members of the Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP), the independent tribunal which will hear and adjudicate on cases of alleged regulatory breaches in professional cricket, and decide what sanctions are appropriate for any breaches that are found to have occurred.

Anurag Singh, Christopher Coltart KC, Gareth Graham, Gemma White KC, Graeme McPherson KC, Jamas Hodivala KC, Dr Jason Haynes, Manjinder Nagra, Mark Milliken-Smith KC, Paul Horton, Sarah Crowther KC, Dr Seema Patel, Will Brown and Yasin Patel have been appointed to the CDP.

The CDP’s function will be to consider cases brought before it by the Cricket Regulator, the body responsible for monitoring compliance with and enforcement of adherence to the game’s regulations on behalf of the ECB.

Most cases which will come before the Panel relate to a breach of the ECB’s Professional Conduct Regulations, which contain various misconduct offences including bringing the game into disrepute (which gives rise to broad and varied cases).

However, the Panel, and the Chair in particular, also has a role to play in relation to other Regulations, including the Anti-Corruption Regulations, Player and Match Officials’ Minimum Regulations, Cricket Playing Conditions, Bowling Review Regulations, Pitch Regulations and Head Protector Regulations.

On 1 April 2025 the Cricket Discipline Panel will take over from the current Cricket Discipline Commission, which has been chaired by Tim O’Gorman.

Richard Whittam KC said: “I am delighted to welcome our new members to the Cricket Discipline Panel. Each of them brings a wealth of experience and expertise in their respective fields, which will be invaluable to the Panel. Their diverse backgrounds and commitment to fair play will ensure that we continue to maintain the highest levels of discipline and governance within the sport. I look forward to working with them as we embark on our important task together."

Biographical information

Anurag Singh (Ragi) is a former professional cricketer who represented Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire, and a corporate M&A/Private Equity partner at international law firm Gowling WLG. He heads up Gowling's Sports Practice which acts for, amongst others, teams, players and governing / regulatory bodies across a variety of sports and has an insight into a range of sports related legal issues and resolutions. He has previously been a member of the ECB's Cricket Discipline Commission.

Christopher Coltart KC specialises in white-collar crime, professional disciplinary work and sports law cases. He has acted for the FA in some of the biggest cases it has brought in recent years. He is a member of the RFU disciplinary panel and is an arbitrator with Sport Resolutions. He has a lifelong passion for cricket, both as a player and a spectator.

Gareth Graham is an experienced chair of sports disciplinary hearings. Gareth has chaired hearings for the RFU, EPCR, World Rugby, the FA, the BHA, the LTA and British Cycling. Gareth is a barrister at 3PB specialising in employment and sports law. He played cricket for many years, including at National County level.

Gemma White KC is a barrister with a broad practice covering Public Law, Professional Discipline, Discrimination, Education and Sport. Gemma led the 2018-2019 Inquiry into bullying and harassment of Westminster MP's Parliamentary staff, commissioned by the House of Commons.

Graeme McPherson KC is a barrister specialising in sports law. He has considerable experience of acting as an arbitrator in sporting disputes and has for many years been a member of the FA’s Judicial and Appeal Panels and the Premier League’s Judicial Panel.

Jamas Hodivala KC has extensive experience representing a range of professionals in disciplinary proceedings before their regulator, as well as expertise in criminal fraud, bribery and corruption matters and was formerly a chair of his cricket club.

Dr Jason Haynes is a qualified barrister and solicitor, and is the Associate Professor of Law and Deputy Head of Postgraduate Research at Birmingham Law School. He is a member of the Commonwealth Games Federation Ethics Commission, Cricket West Indies' Integrity and Dispute Resolution Committee, and the Windward Islands Cricket Board's Disciplinary Committee.

Manjinder Nagra is an experienced sports discipline panel member, currently serving on both England RFU and Sussex RFU Discipline Panels. She also sits on the Students RFU EDI Advisory Board and is a keen sports fan. She was the first Asian woman to have played English representative rugby, appearing for England Students. Manjinder is a practising solicitor and former President of the Sussex Law Society.

Mark Milliken-Smith KC is an experienced ECB Cricket Discipline Chair and Panel Member, and past Chair of the MCC Disciplinary Panel. He currently sits as a Crown Court Judge. As a barrister he specialised in crime, sport and professional discipline. He acted for many sporting professionals, clubs and governing bodies across a range of sports, often at the crossover with reputation management.

Paul Horton is a former professional cricketer who captained both Lancashire and Leicestershire in a career spanning over 450 games across 18 years. He has a Masters in Sport Directorship and retired in 2020. He is now a Property Investment Consultant.

Sarah Crowther KC is a barrister whose practice includes sports law, regulatory issues, discrimination and public law, as well as employment law. Sarah advises and represents individuals and organisations in a wide range of sports-related disputes and is the Chair of the Judicial Panel of the British Horseracing Authority. Sarah enjoys watching cricket.

Dr Seema Patel is Associate Professor in Sports Law at Nottingham Trent University. She has a PhD in sports law, specifically discrimination and the regulatory balance between inclusion and exclusion in competitive sport. She is an international expert on gender discrimination in sport and has contributed extensively to sport gender policy and government consultation on inclusion and participation in sport.

Will Brown is the CEO of PentathlonGB, where he is accountable for all areas of the business including its governance and programmes. Prior to joining PentathlonGB Will spent 11 years from 2013-2024 as the CEO of Gloucestershire cricket. Will also worked with the Lawn Tennis Association and sat on the integrity panel during his time at Betfair, in total bringing over 25 years of sports governance, leadership and commercial experience.

Yasin Patel is a barrister with a wealth of experience, expertise and knowledge of Criminal, Regulatory, Disciplinary, Sports and Entertainment Law. Yasin has represented individuals, organisations, players and officials in a number of leading cases, has advised and drafted policy documents for governing bodies and governments and been involved in dispute resolution matters.