Indian influx could be Leics salvation

Wasim Khan has admitted that he could be the last chief executive of Leicestershire unless he is able to reverse the county's decline.

Wasim, who began his new role at the start of the month, has inherited a club fighting for survival. Leicestershire have not won a first-class game since September 2012, did not manage to take 20 wickets in a match throughout the 2014 season and only managed full batting bonus points on three occasions.

But the issues off the pitch are arguably even more serious. The number of members has dropped to around a thousand and Leicestershire remains heavily reliant upon the ECB for its meagre turnover: almost two-thirds of the club's total revenue - barely £3m - comes from the ECB.

The struggle to retain players from the lure of relatively affluent Nottinghamshire (who have acquired former Leicestershire players Harry Gurney, James Taylor and Stuart Broad over recent seasons) has long been understood, but at the end of the 2014 season Leicestershire lost a couple of their more talented players - Josh Cobb and Shiv Thakor - to far from wealthy rivals Northants and Derbyshire respectively. Nathan Buck and Greg Smith also chose to leave.

With some whispering that a change in the constitution of the ECB could be considered in 2019 - a change that could include a rethink over the viability of an 18-county first-class system - it seems time could be running out for the club.

But Wasim has never been one to shy away from a challenge. He is believed to have been the first British-born player of Pakistan origin in county cricket when he made his first-class debut in 1995 and, after a successful spell as chief executive of the Cricket Foundation, has become the first Asian chief executive in county cricket.

Less than a month into the job, he has persuaded one senior player - Niall O'Brien - to sign a new contract, brought in a major new sponsor - De Montfort University - and provided some ambitious targets for his period in office. The aim is to see membership rise to 4,000, revenue reach £4m - both within the next five years - and the club to fight for promotion in the coming season.

And if he achieves that how does he think the ECB will react?

"We'll make it very hard for them to make a decision against us."

"Look, it's a challenge," Wasim said. "But we're not the only first-class club fighting for our survival. We've become disconnected from our local communities. Not just the Asian communities, but the other communities, too.

"And we're not in a position where we are financially independent, so it is possible that a decision could be taken out of our hands.

"But at least we are not burdened by debt - like so many other clubs - and at least if we're heading in the right direction, we can make it difficult for anyone to make that decision.

"I know people have raised their eyebrows about me taking this job, but I'm excited by it. I've been struck by the passion for success from the people who work here. There's a big job to do, but I see that as an opportunity to make a real difference."

Among his priorities is a need to reengage the local community. With so little success to enjoy on the pitch, spectators have stayed away from Grace Road in their droves.

"I want to offer some exclusivity to our membership. At present, we don't have a membership enclosure, so I want to change that and then provide them with their own bar and the chance to buy a bacon sarnie in the morning. It sounds simple, but it's stuff we haven't been doing.

"And there are 15,000 homes in the streets adjacent to the ground. I want to attract people from those homes with family days: we'll give them free tickets and provide entertainment for the kids and things for the mums and dads, too. We want them to get into the habit of seeing the cricket club as a place for them. We want them to think of it as quite a cool way to spend some time."

Meanwhile, he will put together a business plan designed to persuade the ECB to provide further funding - there is a grant of £1m available for each club to spend on "transformation plans" if the ECB feel the business plan is sound - and has mined some of the contacts he made during his period with the Cricket Foundation to encourage further sponsorship.

A new ground sponsor is one likely development and, if the local residents can be convinced, floodlights may follow. An earlier scheme to build flats in one parcel of land on the ground is currently being reviewed to see if the area, and the money, might be better used.

Most of all, though, Wasim wants to appeal to lapsed members or those supporters who have become so disillusioned by recent failures that they have stopped attending.

"I want to issue a rallying cry to them," he said. "I want to ask them to come back and support us. Yes, we've made mistakes. Yes, we've had some poor years. But we're moving in the right direction and we need your help to get this club back where it should be."

In the long-term, it is hoped that the relationship with Crown Hills Community College - a college which includes a million-pound cricket facility funded in part by the ECB - will engage more local people, especially those from the Asian community, and wean the club off its striking reliance on local private schools.

In turn, it is hoped that, as the side comes to represent its local community more - and around 36% of the city is of Asian origin - there may be an increase in the support shown by local businesses.

In the short-term, Leicestershire will scour the market for a "box office" player - again, probably of Asian descent - to improve their T20 side. The club have already recruited Clint McKay as overseas player and Andrew McDonald as coach, with Mark Cosgrove, who qualifies as a non-overseas player, likely to be confirmed, perhaps as captain, in March.

But Wasim remains committed to the club's youth system. It has been the one defence of the poorly performing club in recent times, with the likes of Broad, Gurney, Taylor and Luke Wright providing a reminder of the value of their role in the wider professional game.

"We've had a huge problem with retaining players," Wasim said. "But we also have a good record of producing them. That is something we have to invest in. It's a massively important part of our role as a county club to produce players for England.

"But we can't put off our improvement. We need to change our mindset now. We need the team to fight for promotion this season and understand that, with all te talent we have at this club and a bit of Aussie grit in our dressing room, we can show people we're far better than recent results would suggest."