Through its charitable arm, the club has been heavily involved in promoting cricket in Afghanistan and more recently Nepal, which judging from the frenzied crowds there, will be the game's next great success story.

Charities also feared that the change would be used as a smokescreen to hide cuts in health spending, with ministers reducing funds for organisations such as children's hospitals that have successful charitable arms.

These dictates that organisations with a charitable arm must consolidate their accounts rather than publish the two separately.