Yorkshire cleared by regulator over £1.75m payment to chief executive’s firm

• Regulator investigated fee paid to Sanjay Patel’s company

• SMP73 Ltd consulted on sale of Northern Superchargers

Yorkshire have escaped without charges from the Cricket Regulator after a formal investigation into a £1.75m payment the county made to a company controlled by the club’s chief executive, Sanjay Patel, for work on the sale of the Northern Superchargers Hundred franchise.

The Guardian revealed in June that the England and Wales Cricket Board was reviewing the consultancy fee, which related to the £100m sale of the Superchargers to the Sun Group last year, with the matter subsequently referred to the Cricket Regulator for a formal investigation.