Women’s Big Bash League coach fired after ‘inappropriate’ communication with a Melbourne Renegades player

An elite cricket coach has been fired for ‘inappropriate’ communications with a player after their close friendship raised eyebrows and sparked a probe.

Duncan Harrison.

Women’s Big Bash League coach Duncan Harrison has been fired for “inappropriate” communication and had shared “con­fidential information” with a Melbourne Renegades player.

The player, which The Australian has chosen not to name, is now the subject of a Cricket Australia integrity investigation which is understood to be looking into unspecified aspects of the situation.

“Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit was notified by Cricket ­Victoria of an issue which is currently under investigation. The details of that investigation are ­confidential,” Cricket Australia confirmed to The Australian in a ­statement.

The close friendship between the Melbourne Renegades assistant coach and the player had “raised eyebrows” within the cricket community and concerns were passed on to Cricket Victoria, which has since acted.

Harrison did not respond to The Australian’s inquires on Wednesday.

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Duncan Harrison. Picture: Supplied

Harrison, who was also the head coach of Cricket Victoria’s women’s high performance academy – a crucial pathway program for junior female cricketers – had his contract terminated last Friday.

A Cricket Victoria investigation said Harrison had been ­dismissed for sharing confidential information with the player and written communication which was found to be “inappropriate”.

The Australian has obtained a copy of the email which specifies why Harrison had been axed from his roles.

The email, which was sent last Friday to a number of elite cricket coaches, contains a statement from Cricket Victoria chief executive Nick Cummins.

“I wish to advise that Duncan Harrison’s employment with Cricket Victoria has been terminated following an investigation which determined that Duncan had shared confidential information with another CV employee without authorisation,” Mr Cummins wrote in an email last Friday.

“The investigation also identified that Duncan had been involved in written communication with the same employee which was found to be inappropriate and in breach of CV’s policies and expectations.

“The Pathway Program is an important part of our broader High Performance program and CV will communicate a replacement for Duncan in due course.”

In a written statement to The Australian, Mr Cummins – who was permanently appointed to the chief executive role at Cricket Victoria in August – did not comment directly on the Harrison ­dismissal but spoke to the standards the organisation expects from its employees.

“Cricket Victoria is committed to providing a safe and professional working environment for all our athletes and staff,” Mr Cummins said.

“We expect players and coaches to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the expectations of a high-performance environment, to achieve their full potential.”

Harrison was an experienced cricket coach.

As well as being the head coach of the women’s program at the high-performance academy, and being the assistant coach and list manager of the Melbourne ­Renegades, Harrison has also been an assistant coach at the Victorian women’s open aged cricket team.

Prior to joining Cricket ­Victoria, Harrison’s cricket ­resume included being an assistant coach of Footscray ­Edgewater in the Victorian Premier Cricket Association.

During his time they secured an XI Premiership and a T20 Championship.

The seventh edition of the Women’s Big Bash League is due to start on October 14.

Originally published as Women’s Big Bash League coach fired after ‘inappropriate’ communication with a Melbourne Renegades player