Kevin Roberts says new team performance boss may not require ‘cricketing DNA’
NEW Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts has refused to rule out the prospect that outgoing team performance boss Pat Howard could be replaced by another cricketing outsider.
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NEW Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts has refused to rule out the prospect that outgoing team performance boss Pat Howard could be replaced by another cricketing outsider.
Since being appointed into the specially created and all-encompassing high performance position eight years ago, Howard has never been able to escape condemnation from critics that he was a rugby union man with no background in cricket.
However, former NSW Sheffield Shield player Roberts who took over as CA chief from James Sutherland last week, says it’s far too early to say whether or not Howard’s successor would necessarily be a candidate from “inside cricket”.
Cricket Australia’s cultural review will be handed down on Monday and it’s anticipated the high performance systems across the country will be among the more heavily scrutinised categories, although Howard has already signalled he will walk away from his post in 12 months’ time.
Roberts emphasised that Howard’s replacement would need “a very strong knowledge of our game” but denied cricketing DNA was a prerequisite.
“I think it comes down to the best person for the job. Whoever the best person is for the job we’ll assess that closer to the time,” Roberts told The Daily Telegraph.
“I am excited about collaboratively developing our future plans for high performance. Not just through CA but across States and territories as well because the reality is the team performance department within Cricket Australia operates as a broader high performance system in Australian cricket.
“I’m excited to put our future plans together and then appoint a new leader in around a year’s time to fulfill those plans. I wouldn’t flag whether the person is from within or outside cricket but I do know we need a very strong knowledge of cricket and we also want a good understanding of best practice in international sport.
“I think a good balance of the knowledge of our game and the knowledge of best practice in sport more broadly will be key.
“Pat’s successor and their team will need a deep knowledge of cricket and a desire to learn from other sports around the world.”
Early speculation has suggested WACA chief executive Christina Matthews could be a good fit for Howard’s role.
Roberts said he respected Howard’s decision to announce his departure after next year’s Ashes and lauded the former Wallaby as one of the most “courageous” individuals he’s encountered in sport.
“He’s always said it’s his goal to win or retain the Ashes on English soil and that would be a great way for Pat to go out in terms of his tenure and after (eight) years I do believe in renewal,” said Roberts.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for renewal.
“I would say Pat is one of the most courageous people I know and he’s driven a lot of improvement in the high performance area of Australian cricket.
“That’s not always been popular but Pat’s always had the courage to do that.”
Roberts admitted Australia’s current high performance set-up was “not perfect,” but praised Howard for influencing the fact Australia holds a better record in Asia over the past three years than any other non-Asian team.
In response to a recent column from players’ association spokesperson and former international great Shane Watson, Roberts said he was keen on enhancing the intensity of Sheffield Shield cricket and trying to re-establish the lost link in club cricket of experienced players leaving the game.
Roberts wants Twenty20 cricket to be more prevalent in premier grade cricket, as a means of respecting the time pressures of modern society and keeping players in the game for longer.
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