Just four weeks after he took up the job on a temporary basis, Earl Eddings has been named the new permanent chairman of Cricket Australia (CA).
Eddings had earlier served as the director of the board for a period of 10 years and would continue as chairman till the annual general meeting in next year October where a candidate, nominated after talks with state associations, would fill up the post.
He thus takes over the role in a difficult period in Australian cricket as the pay dispute last year was followed by the infamous episode of ball-tampering earlier this year.
Prior to this, the chairman was David Peever who was forced to step down after he was re-elected for a second term of three years after he faced pressure following a critical review of the culture of Australian cricket.
“There’s no question this year has been a challenging one for cricket and for Cricket Australia. Our aim is to ensure management are empowered to rebuild trust and strengthen the game,” said CA director Jacquie Hey in a statement.
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“Earl’s involvement over the past decade provides continuity in a time of change and enables the board to maintain strong relations with the ICC (cricket’s governing body), other member countries and our valued partners.”
The Longstaff report found the board to be partially responsible for the ball-tampering scandal that happened in Cape Town which saw the then captain and vice-captain Steve Smith and David Warner along with Cameron Bancroft face bans.
Cricket Australia was accused of being “arrogant” and “controlling” by the stakeholders. The board was said to have developed a culture of “winning without counting the costs”.
Cricket is only what it is in Australia because of the commitment of our people, the fans and the thousands of volunteers around the country,” said Eddings.
“I am honoured to serve in this position and am committed to making cricket stronger and a game that we can all be proud of.”