CA set to appoint female board member

Updated September 28, 2012 19:36:30

Company director Jacquie Hey is poised to become the first woman on the Cricket Australia (CA) board.

But former Test captain Mark Taylor was overlooked for a seat.

Hey is one of three unanimous recommendations by the current board to take new independent positions on the restructured board.

She is the former managing director of telecommunications company Ericsson in Australia and New Zealand.

Hey is currently a non-executive director at the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, and holds the same position at public broadcaster SBS.

The other recommendations for the independent seats are Rio Tinto managing director David Peever and former company chief executive Kevin Roberts, who was also a middle-order batsman for New South Wales.

Taylor was also a former Cricket New South Wales board member and he had applied for one of the independent positions.

State associations will vote on the three independent candidates at CA's AGM on October 25, with a two-thirds majority needed.

The new board structure follows a governance review of CA.

State delegates made up the old board of 14 directors, but it is now down to nine - the three independent directors, plus one member from each state.

CA plans to make the board completely independent over the next five years.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted September 28, 2012 19:36:30

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CA considers smaller board

Updated April 24, 2012 21:13:12

Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday it would seek approval from state associations to begin a transition to a smaller board.

The move needs a majority of 11/14ths to be passed at a special CA meeting in July, following a board meeting in June.

CA chairman Wally Edwards is confident of success although South Australia opposes the stage-two model of all nine directors being independent of state boards.

The current CA board has 14 members from six states, with each state nominating between one and three directors each.

Tuesday's resolution, which was not unanimous, follows a recommendation to CA in 2011 from sports governance specialists David Crawford and Colin Carter to consider moving to a smaller, independent board.

CA's board has resolved to ask for member feedback on proposed changes that could lead initially to a board consisting of six state-appointed directors plus three independent directors.

The new-look panel could be in place for CA's annual general meeting in October.

After three years, CA's board would review the success of the changes and consider then moving to a board of nine independent directors, with at least one director resident in each state.

Edwards says CA has staggered the reform over three years for legal reasons and also because of the need for a transitional period.

"We didn't get a unanimous position because of this issue of the independent director," Edwards said.

"One state is pretty well locked in on wanting to have their own delegated director, from the SACA.

"SACA are against it. I don't want to hide that fact.

"They want the director located in South Australia. They want to appoint him and they want him to be on their board.

"My belief is that it will be passed.

"July is the big one.

"If five out of the six states agree, it moves forward and Cricket Australia's constitution will be changed, that directors can't be a member of their state board.

"It's an issue SACA will have to come to grips with. They've got a lot of time to think about it."

Edwards said three previous reform attempts over the past two decades had failed because the bigger states didn't want to give up their voting strength.

"There's been a lot of grumpiness about some states being more equal than others, three, two and one (votes)," he said.

"This first step gets rid of all that. It gets us back to nine directors (including three independently elected directors)."

Edwards said constitutional change would always be difficult to enforce when there's no crisis, especially after a profitable home summer against India.

"(But) I'm pretty happy with where we've got to," he said.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted April 24, 2012 21:13:12

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Indian cricket board hammered for Test run

Updated January 16, 2012 09:47:37

Former players and the media have trained their guns on India's powerful cricket board after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team slid to another humiliating series defeat overseas.

Australia smashed India by an innings and 37 runs inside three days in the third Perth Test on Sunday to clinch the four-match series, after winning in Melbourne by 122 runs and Sydney by an innings and 68 runs.

It was India's seventh successive loss abroad, following their 4-0 rout in England last year, in a dismal run that has taken the sheen off their limited-overs World Cup victory last April.

As the nation debated the future of ageing batting greats Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul David and Venkatsai Laxman, the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was trashed for its short-sighted policies.

"They (BCCI) is doing extremely well when it comes to making money and controlling world cricket," said former captain Kapil Dev. "But what is the use if your team fails to win matches abroad?"

Another former captain Bishan Bedi said the emphasis on the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition had cost India dearly.

"I am saying this with a heavy heart, but once the IPL comes around in April, every Test defeat will be forgotten," Bedi told AFP. "The game has been badly damaged by the BCCI."

Others felt the BCCI was so occupied with making money and promoting the IPL that it failed to plan a transition period for when Tendulkar and other veteran batsmen wane.

"Indian cricket's problem is not much shortage of talent as self-delusion," said noted sports critic Ayaz Memon. "Being the richest in the world is not necessarily synonymous with the best.

"Building a truly great team needs long-term vision, rigorous planning, strong leadership and some luck with the right talent coming together at the same time."

Former captain Sourav Ganguly said India were never the best Test side in the world, despite the number one ranking it held for close to two years until their demolition in England.

"You can never be the best if you don't win abroad," said Ganguly, India's most successful Test captain. "India have not just lost in England and Australia, they have been drubbed."

Ganguly joined the growing chorus to rebuild a side currently staffed by senior players who are nearing the end of their careers.

"We will definitely have to make big changes after the current tour," he said. "Otherwise good luck to Indian cricket."

With India not due to play an overseas series until the tour of South Africa in late 2013 and the next home series still seven months away, the selectors were urged to use the opportunity.

The immediate concern was the future of Dravid and Laxman, who have had a poor run in Australia, even as Tendulkar appeared in good form despite failing to score his 100th international century.

"They have served India so well in the past, but they can't go on for ever," said former team-mate Sanjay Manjrekar. "The selectors must take a call to blood younger players."

Dravid turned 39 this month, Tendulkar will reach the same age in April, while Laxman will be 38 later in the year.

AFP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia, india

First posted January 16, 2012 09:47:37

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Cricket Australia to overhaul board

Updated December 08, 2011 16:35:22

Cricket Australia (CA) will overhaul the make-up of its board to give each state equal representation among sweeping reforms.

CA has accepted the recommendations of a review into its governance, which called for its 14 directors to be replaced by a board consisting of nine members.

The six states will have an equal voice, with each to nominate one board member and three independent members to be added for their skills.

Currently New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia each have three places on the board, Western Australia and Queensland have two votes each and Tasmania one.

CA chairman Wally Edwards described the shake up as "the most sweeping reforms in our 106-year history."

Edwards said the changes would provide for more effective and nimble administration of cricket nationally.

He said the recommendations put forward by review authors David Crawford and Colin Carter were accepted unanimously by CA's board of directors.

Edwards paid tribute to New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, who all voluntarily gave up their powerful positions of having three seats each on the board.

He hoped the new board structure could be in place by June 30 next year.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, australia, nsw, sydney-2000

First posted December 08, 2011 15:36:07

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ICC wants video review across the board

Posted May 12, 2011 10:40:00

The controversial Decision Review System (DRS) should be used in all international matches, the cricket committee of the International Cricket Council has recommended.

"The committee, while recognising the need to take account of existing (television) contracts, unanimously recommended the system be used in all Test matches, one-day internationals and Twenty20s," committee chairman Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, told a news conference at Lord's following the conclusion of a two-day meeting.

He added teams should be restricted to one unsuccessful challenge per innings in one-day and Twenty20 games, rather than the current two to stop what Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager for cricket, called the 'tactical' use of reviews.

"What we are trying to eradicate is the bad decision, not the fifty-fifty one," former South Africa wicketkeeper Richardson said.

The system, whereby players can challenge on-field decisions, was used in all matches throughout the recent World Cup in the subcontinent.

But for all other major international matches the agreement, in practice, of both sides is required although responsibility technically rests with the home board.

However, world champion India, has been opposed to the system almost from its inception and a controversial lbw decision during its World Cup tied match with England, where England's Ian Bell was given not out even though replays suggested he was in fact lbw, would not have softened its stance.

Nevertheless, Richardson insisted: "The level of believability in ball-tracking systems has improved.

"Hopefully, member boards and the India board will take cognisance of that.

"We need consistency. It confuses the players and viewers if one series has DRS and the other not. Let us use it in every series possible."

The committee also recommended two separate balls, one from each end, be used in the course of a one-day international innings, rather than the current system whereby the ball is changed after 34 overs of a maximum 50 overs per side match.

They also suggested one bowling and batting powerplay from overs 16-40, putting both into the middle block of overs where there has been a complaint that one-day games can become staid.

At present the bowling powerplay is invariably taken after 10 overs with the vast majority of batting powerplays coming near or at the end of innings.

And the committee called for a captain to be be suspended for one match if his side were twice found guilty of a slow over-rate in the same format during a 12-month period rather than in three matches, as is presently the case.

They also said injured batsman should no longer be able to call for a runner in international matches.

But with regard to floodlit Test cricket, the committee said more research into the durability of coloured balls that would be used under lights was required before they could give the go-ahead.

The cricket committee's recommendations must be approved by the ICC's main board before they come into force. The board's nest meeting is in Hong Kong from June 26-30.

- AFP

Tags: sport, cricket, australia, india, united-kingdom, england

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