Brendon McCullum is understood to be ending his association with the gambling company 22Bet despite the ECB deciding the brand ambassadorial role taken by England’s red-ball coach did not contravene its anti-corruption code and clearing him to continue.
McCullum’s partnership with 22Bet, which is based in Cyprus and licensed in Curaçao, was announced in January and received little attention until the start of this month, when he appeared in a series of online advertisements that were so frequently shown on YouTube in his native New Zealand that complaints were heard in parliament.
A spokesperson for the country’s Problem Gambling Foundation described them as “the most aggressive marketing I’ve ever seen”. The minister of internal affairs said they misleadingly suggested the company was itself based in New Zealand, and they were pulled by Google.
After being alerted to the issue last week the ECB said it was “exploring the matter” and would make sure its “rules in place around gambling are followed”. But after discussions with McCullum and his agent, the governing body concluded that its anti-corruption code did not preclude players and coaches from appearing in adverts or becoming brand ambassadors for bookmakers.
An ECB spokesperson said: “Discussions have been ongoing with Brendon over the last few days, and the matter has been considered from an employer and regulator perspective. We can confirm that no further action will be taken.”
Meanwhile, Gary Ballance has announced his retirement, just three months after the former England batter resumed his international career with Zimbabwe. Ballance, 33, played 16 Tests and 23 ODIs for England but last featured in 2017 as he battled loss of form, struggles with mental health and damaging accusations in the Yorkshire racism scandal.
He left Headingley last year and signed a two-year deal with his native country, but his return to top-flight cricket was a brief one and he has now walked away with immediate effect.
Elsewhere, Jonny Bairstow has described speculation that he has designs on England’s wicketkeeping position after his return from injury as a “non-story”.
The Yorkshire coach, Darren Gough, said last month that the 33-year-old had “said he would like to keep” when he returns to his county side, prompting some to suggest that, with his place at No 5 jeopardised by the emergence of Harry Brook, he had his sights on Ben Foakes’s position in the Test team.
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But Bairstow has kept wicket in 71 of his 89 County Championship appearances for Yorkshire, and the last time he played a first-class game for them without taking the gloves was in 2014. “Why wouldn’t I? Every time I’ve played for them, I’ve kept wicket,” Bairstow said. “It’s a bit of a non-story, to be honest.”
The 33-year-old is close to returning to fitness after sustaining a serious leg injury while playing golf last September, dislocating his ankle and breaking his fibula in three places. He is expected to play at least twice in the County Championship next month, and to be available for England’s first Test of the summer against Ireland at Lord’s starting on 1 June.
“I will be available, absolutely,” he said of that game. “We’re not far away and things are tracking in the right direction. We’re nearing the end of the recovery process.”