More turbulence in English cricket’s leadership as CEO quits
LONDON (AP) — A turbulent interval for English cricket noticed one other high-profile departure amongst its management on Tuesday when chief govt Tom Harrison introduced he will likely be stepping down.
For the reason that flip of the 12 months, the lads’s check captain, head coach, director of cricket and now the CEO have all left their roles because the England and Wales Cricket Board launches a so-called “red-ball reset” amid troubling occasions for the check staff.
Harrison has confronted a few of the blame for that, having prioritized the shorter codecs of the sport in the hunt for higher income streams throughout his greater than seven years as chief govt. That included being a key driver behind the introduction of the Hundred, a brand new competitors created to broaden the viewers of the game and positioned on the coronary heart of the British summer season — maybe to the detriment of check cricket.
Harrison, who joined the ECB from sports activities advertising large IMG in January 2015, needed to navigate English cricket by means of a pandemic that created unprecedented monetary challenges after which a racism scandal sparked by complaints by former player Azeem Rafiq.
The ECB mentioned in a press release asserting Harrison’s departure subsequent month {that a} “key half” of the function for his alternative will likely be making cricket “a welcoming and numerous sport, together with by means of the continued implementation of the motion plan agreed in November 2021 to drive out discrimination inside the sport.”
Clare Connor, who’s at the moment managing director of girls’s cricket in England, will exchange Harrison on an interim foundation.
The ECB mentioned its annual income nearly tripled throughout Harrison’s tenure.
“The previous two years have been extremely difficult,“ Harrison mentioned, ”however now we have pulled collectively to get by means of the pandemic, overcome cricket’s largest monetary disaster, and dedicated to tackling discrimination and persevering with the journey in direction of turning into the inclusive, welcoming sport we attempt to be.
“I’ve put every little thing into this function, however I imagine now could be the best time to usher in contemporary power to proceed this work.”
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