Yorkshire could face the “disaster” of losing Test matches and will not be able to compete at the top level of English cricket unless they end 163 years of being a members-run club, says chief executive Sanjay Patel.

The White Rose county is urging members and supporters to get behind their 10-year Chasing Glory strategy, which Patel says will allow outside investment to turn Headingley into the prime Test venue outside London, and keep the first team competitive.

Patel told BBC Radio Leeds that last year’s sale of the Northern Superchargers Hundred franchise has put the club on an even keel financially, with £60m of the £100m proceeds going towards payment of debts and cash flow, with around £15m being placed in the subsidiary Headingley Investments.

“One of the big pillars was the regeneration of Headingley,” he said. “We want to make sure this ground hosts major international cricket in a meaningful way in the future.

“If you look at our allocation over the next three years, from a men’s point of view it’s not very good. We do not have a Test match in 2027, so we lose out on the Ashes we don’t have one in 2028 and in 2029 we’ve got the Test match that sits outside the India series.

“That is not a sustainable position for us to be in from a business model point of view, and it’s also not great for cricket in Yorkshire.

“We need to make sure this ground has the best international cricket played here every single year. The only way we are going to do that is regenerate Headingley.