The phone call that ended David Peever’s tenure as Cricket Australia chairman

DAVID Peever didn’t want to quit as Cricket Australia chairman but a chastening conversation with an influential state cricket official made him realise he had to go, ROBERT CRADDOCK reveals.

David Peever resigned as Cricket Australia chairman. Picture: AFP

THEY say you never mess with the banks - or the bankers - and in this case they were right.

Credit Suisse chief executive and NSW cricket chairman John Knox is a man known for firm opinions and one of them was responsible for ending the ultimately tortured Cricket Australia chairmanship of David Peever.

The decisive crash and burn play came last week when Cricket Australia reappointed Peever for a second three-year term at its annual general meeting - but only after CA refused to show state officials the contents of two controversial cultural reviews until the deed had been done.

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Frustrated by the lack of transparency, Knox returned to Sydney an angry man.

After watching Monday’s harrowing press conference where Peever spoke about the controversial cultural reviews, Knox told a meeting of the NSW Cricket board on Tuesday night it was time for Peever to go.

The move was passed unanimously and with several other states on the warpath, Knox, the man who sealed Australian cricket’s $1 billion television deal, rang Peever on Thursday morning urging him to resign “for the good of the game”.

Cricket Australia chairman David Peever fell on his sword. Picture: Aaron Francis

As a first grade batsmen with Brisbane Easts, Peever once faced Jeff Thomson on a lively wicket but the Knox phone call was even more chastening.

Soon after speaking to Knox, Peever told friends “I always said that I should only do the job if I had unanimous support but I haven’t so it’s time to go.’’

Peever never wanted to quit and is said to be deeply disillusioned at having to fall on his sword.

As Peever was delivering his resignation, Queensland Cricket chairman Sal Vasta was on a flight from Rockhampton to Brisbane planning to pen a media release supporting Peever’s chairmanship.

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But when he landed he became aware of the news and Peever rang him soon after.

“I feel sad - he is a very strong administrator,’’ Vasta said.

“He rang me after he had resigned because I’m sure he knew if had rung earlier I would have tried to talk him out of it.’’

The optimist’s views of the carnage featuring the departure of the most senior figures in the Australian game it that it has ripped the arrogant swagger out of the Australian set-up and a humbler, less abrasive structure will rebuild what was an outdated model from the bottom up.

The pessimist’s view is that the entire scene has become a rudderless mess reflected in the fact that Australia is struggling to win a match in any form of the game.

Credit Suisse chief executive and NSW cricket boss John Knox was frustrated by the lack of transparency from Cricket Australia. Picture: Hollie Adams

Australia has few on-field leaders and even fewer off it.

Peever copped great criticism this week and made two crucial errors — not delivering the cultural reviews before being re-elected and simply standing for re-election in the first place when the clear mood was for change.

But there is also a feeling that whatever his shortcomings he copped the mortar fire which could have been directed at James Sutherland whose 18-year tenure as chief executive ended last week, just as the ship was about to be torpedoed in the bow.

Deep-seated cultural issues are generally more the responsibility of the office-based chief executive than the chairman.

Australian cricket is bleeding and the knives are still out. An angry cricket nation is at war with itself.

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