Melbourne Stars usher in new era with former Fox Sports journalist Max Abbott named new General Manager

A former Fox Sports journalist and Cricket Australia media adviser has beaten a hot field to become the new general manager of Big Bash League under-performers the Melbourne Stars.

Glenn Maxwell hitting out for the Melbourne Stars in January. Photo: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Cricket Victoria has appointed a Cricket Australia media adviser as the new general manager of Melbourne Stars.

CV had been casting around for a GM for its Big Bash League entry since the resignation of Blair Crouch in January.

Crouch had held the position since May, 2021.

Former Fox Sports reporter Max Abbott has been installed as his replacement.

Abbott was a media adviser at CA from December, 2022 to June, 2023 and had another contract position with it to promote this season’s Border-Gavaskar Test series between Australia and India.

His LinkedIn page said he focused on “working with players, stakeholders and broadcast partners to drive engagement with media and multicultural communities’’.

He spent most of last year with the ICC in marketing and communications liaison for the men’s T20 World Cup co-hosted by the US and West Indies.

The Stars have one of the league’s most talented rosters – but have yet to win a BBL title. Picture: Getty

In an alert to staff this morning, CV CEO Nick Cummins said Abbott “brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, complimented by long standing relationships with key stakeholders in the game in both Australia and overseas.’’

“Max has worked in a marketing/communications capacity at five ICC World Cups across Australia, the UK, India, New Zealand, the Caribbean and Zimbabwe,’’ Cummin said.

“He also worked as the media manager for the Melbourne Stars back in the dark days of COVID during season 2020-2021. Prior to that, he was marketing and commercial director and head of major tournaments at Cricket Hong Kong and a journalist for Fox Sports for six years.’’

He said Abbott was an “outstanding candidate in a hotly contested field’’.

There were more than 150 applications.

“It’s a great reflection on the Stars, and the BBL more broadly, that there was so much interest in the role,’’ Cummins said.

Abbott will start on March 24.

Originally published as Melbourne Stars usher in new era with former Fox Sports journalist Max Abbott named new General Manager