The England and Wales Cricket Board claim today's recommendation for home Ashes Tests to be reserved for free-to-air television could have a "disastrous impact".

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, has added his voice to the thoughts of many of sports governing bodies who fear a drop in broadcasting income if pay TV is prevented from bidding for its biggest events.

An independent review panel, led by David Davies, the former Football Association executive director, said that from 2016 home series between England and Australia be returned to the Government's list of "crown jewel" sporting events.

The ECB, which has a £260 million deal with BSkyB, the broadcaster 39.1 per cent owned by News Corporation, parent company of The Times, estimates that it would lose £120 million at the end of the contract in 2013 if Ashes home tests were forced back on to terrestrial TV.

"This report will have a disastrous impact on grassroots funding for every sport," Clarke said. "It will be absolutely devastating. We would have an income which in 2004 would have been £90 million less over four years. That is a staggering amount of money. We are in a position where the Prime Minister has, quite rightly, promised a golden decade of sport.

"If Mr Davies' report is to be implemented, there will be a decade of decay across the recreational game - and not just cricket, other sports as well. The 25 days of cricket the Ashes takes up is a totally disproportionate amount of time to be listed.

"Its economic impact on cricket? 10,000 new coaches we're coaching in the next four years. We wouldn't have a hope of coaching them in the future. We wouldn't have the money, we would have to cut it out. Our current estimates are that half the players at least would have to be made redundant, let alone all the grounds we support, and schools cricket."

In drawing up their list, Davies' panel have identified what they believe to be events of 'national resonance'. Their proposals will now be reviewed by the culture minister, Ben Bradshaw, over a 12-week period of consultation.

Cricket's move to Sky after the 2005 Ashes has been a hugely controversial issue. Sky have earned praise for their extensive coverage but their smaller audience share means viewing figures are considerably down on those posted by previous broadcast partner Channel 4.

Davies responded to Clarke's criticisms by saying: "My first question to Giles Clarke would be, does he believe the Ashes cricket is an event of national resonance? If he doesn't believe that, or it isn't, he must argue that.

"If he believes, as I suspect he does, it is an event of national resonance but cricket can't afford the price of one series in the next six years being guaranteed to free-to-air television - while the whole of the rest of cricket is up to the ECB as to what they do with it - that is the case he will make to the Secretary of State."

Clarke, however, countered by saying the ECB would struggle to attract maximum value from broadcasters if Ashes series were not open to all bidders. "David's argument is totally disingenuous," he said. "It is six weeks of the most important series. It is going to be enormously difficult to get any kind of value for England v New Zealand, England v West Indies or England v Sri Lanka - it just doesn't happen.

"We get paid for exclusivity and the right to have the Ashes and the build-up to the Ashes."

Legal experts have said that the ECB could seek a judicial review from the High Court if the grassroots of the sport lost out financially. Mel Goldberg, a sports lawyer, said a High Court action was a “real threat”.

“With the Government banging the drum about obesity, cricket has a good argument that it is getting more people playing the sport because of money from Sky’s coverage,” Goldberg said.