Mark Taylor quits Cricket Australia board after Peever resignation
THE dominoes continue to fall at Cricket Australia with director and former Aussie skipper Mark Taylor following chairman David Peever out the door. Taylor made the announcement today, saying he had “got to the end”.
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FORMER Test captain Mark Taylor has quit his role as a director of Cricket Australia saying the bitter fallout and infighting from sandpapergate had finally taken its toll on him.
The board’s longest serving director, Taylor said he decided he either had to step up and take on the job of chairman in the wake of David Peever’s resignation or step off the carousel altogether so he chose to walk away, effective immediately.
“Having had 13 years of board service, I reached this decision after a lot of soul searching over the last week or two,” Taylor said.
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“But most importantly I always try to keep the idea of having the game’s best interests at heart when I made this decision.”
Highly respected both as a player and administrator, Taylor was the board’s most recognisable and liked figure but has struggled with the barrage of criticism Cricket Australia has come in for since the release of the Longstaff Review.
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Taylor has become noticeably frustrated by the damage to the game after the board was portrayed as arrogant and bullying and the escalating row over whether Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft’s bans should be reduced after it emerged that Cricket Australia had promoted a culture of winning at all costs.
“I’ve just got to the end - over the last 13 years - but particularly over the last 18 months,” Taylor said.
“It has taken its toll me and the last two weeks, even more so. I can’t give anymore and I’ve lost the energy.
“I think (the report) is part of it but it goes back to the MOU decisions last year, trying to repair relationships after the MOU and then obviously Cape Town this year.”
Taylor said his changed role with Channel Nine had also played a part in his decision. With Nine having lost the broadcast rights, Taylor’s job has changed from a match commentator to one where he has to give his views on all aspects of the game.
“I’ve got to give my opinion much more on things like what’s happening within the world of Cricket Australia rather than what is happening within the men’s and women’s cricket teams. “That’s made my job even harder,” he said.
“It’s often very hard to get the balance right between saying too much and not saying enough so balancing those positions is tough and it takes it out of you.”
Taylor’s departure comes just four days after Peever fell on his sword but he said he hoped he would be the last casualty.
“I hope it stops with me because there’s now two positions available on the Cricket Australia board,” he said.
“I think it is a great opportunity though for a re-set in Australian Cricket, to make that change that everyone talks about.
“It’s a great opportunity obviously with our men’s team struggling for all of us to change for the good and start working out how we can actually work together for the good of Australian cricket.”
Originally published as Mark Taylor quits Cricket Australia board after Peever resignation
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