The ECB is today publishing an external safeguarding case review into the crimes of Michael Strange, related to his role as a cricket coach in north east England in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Strange has been convicted of 34 separate sex offences of underage boys, involving ten separate victims, between 1993 and 2004.
Strange was suspended from all cricket in 2005 when the ECB was informed of the first allegations which were raised against him, and he was permanently disqualified from all cricket activity in April 2006. He was first convicted in 2012, and remains in prison.
The full case review can be read here, and the ECB and Cricket Regulator's response is available here.
ECB Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould said: “Everyone should be able to take part in cricket safely, and our first thoughts today are with the people who were harmed by Michael Strange. We are sorry this happened to you within our sport.
“It is more than 20 years since Strange was suspended from cricket and while the review recognises that safeguarding understanding, policies and practices have developed significantly since then - within cricket and across society more widely - we will never be complacent. This review highlights the importance of everyone being able to recognise concerning behaviour, and to act upon it.
“We are constantly developing and strengthening our safeguarding work as well as the education we deliver across the game, and the review’s findings and recommendations will inform our continuing work. By learning from this appalling case, we can keep people safer today.”
Chris Haward, Director of the Cricket Regulator, said: "Michael Strange was a prolific offender, and the impact of his crimes on those he harmed cannot be underestimated. I am grateful to all those who contributed to this important review and for the recommendations made in the report.
"One of our key responsibilities for the Cricket Regulator is to protect participants from harm, and our safeguarding work lies at the very heart of our strategy. The findings and recommendations from this review will continue to shape our ongoing work to keep people safe.”