CA boss Kevin Roberts defends sacked high performance manager Pat Howard
CRICKET Australia boss Kevin Roberts insisted Pat Howard “had a much deeper experience of cricket than he was given credit for” after axing the maligned high performance manager.
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CRICKET Australia boss Kevin Roberts says its imperative to appoint a cricket person to spearhead the national team’s resurgence after the axing of controversial high performance boss Pat Howard.
As fallout from the damning Longstaff cultural review continued, Roberts decided to bring forward Howard’s expected exit.
He had signalled his intention to resign after next year’s Ashes campaign in England but Roberts, who has been in charge less than two weeks, said it was important to give Australian cricket a “fresh start”.
The decision brought to an end the seven-year-reign of the former Wallaby who was criticised for failing to have a “feel” for cricket during his time in charge.
Howard enjoyed World Cup successes for the men’s and women’s teams, but also oversaw a program seen by many as disrespecting the game at state and local levels.
He was in charge of not just the players but also coaching, pathways and umpires and had the largest number of CA staff working for him around the country.
Former national women’s captain, Belinda Clark, will fill the role during the recruitment process for Howards’ replacement.
Roberts conceded he would rely on cricket experts to find the right person for the job.
“I think it’s imperative that we do have deep cricket experience in the role going forward,” he said.
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“Pat had a much deeper experience of cricket than he was given credit for, and had a lot or cricket experts around him. I’ll be seeking the council of cricket experts in terms of determining our future direction.”
On what Roberts said was another “significant” day for cricket, CA’s leading media rights executive, Ben Amarfio, was also sacked.
Despite some on-field success, the Longstaff review was scathing of the high performance unit, established and run by Howard, claiming it had created a “culture of exceptionalism” and a gulf between the elite players and everyone else in the game.
“Unfortunately, the focus on winning and the success of the Australian Men’s Team has pushed the rest of Australian cricket into a subservient role,” the review found.
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“They are desensitised by the logic of their arguments and the science that informs their practices. They believe that they are the clear-eyed realists and that others are deluded.”
Roberts conceded that a gulf had been created between CA management and the players, and vowed to fix that as a priority.
“There is no doubt we need to face up to the review and it acknowledged the organisation hasn’t been united enough across the playing and non playing sides and we are really committed to driving that unification,” he said.
“It’s a time for reflection and learning and a time to deepen our relationships. It’s important we show leadership, that we are not about words but actions.”
Roberts defended his own position, having been appointed as CEO before the reviews were handed down, reviews which were highly critical of the culture at CA.
“If you look at the Longstaff review, it’s independent and objective … and they called out at least three positive involvements I have had in various areas and one that wasn’t so positive,” he said.
“None of us are perfect, I’ll be doing my best to keep improving in the future.”
VICTIMS OF SANDPAPERGATE
The captain banned — Steve Smith
The vice-captain banned — David Warner
An opener banned — Cameron Bancroft
The coach quits — Darren Lehmann
The CEO retires — James Sutherland
The chairman is forced to quit — David Peever
A director, who is a former Test captain, quits — Mark Taylor
The high performance manager gets sacked — Pat Howard
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