Incoming CA chief Kevin Roberts vows to build bridges, leaving pay dispute furore in rearview mirror

THERE were plenty of sweet-scented words delivered to accompany the appointment of Kevin Roberts as the new boss of Australian cricket but a one-word tweet said more.

Kevin Roberts (right) is announced as the new boss of Australian cricket. Picture: Getty Images

THERE were plenty of sweet-scented words delivered to accompany the appointment of Kevin Roberts as the new boss of Australian cricket but a one-word tweet said more.

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“Interesting’’ was the tellingly brief response from former Test firebrand Mitchell Johnson when he read the breaking news that Roberts was the new main man.

As far as the players were concerned, that was putting it mildly.

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Roberts enters the job well qualified for the role but in the players’ eyes, he was the man who provided the roadblock to the excellent deal they landed in the last pay war.

Only when he was removed from the front line was the crippling stalemate broken.

Rather than being an impediment to his chances of becoming head man, Roberts’ stoicism in the line of duty was thought to have enhanced his chances of getting the big job.

“So,’’ said a former international batsman when the news broke, “CA conducted a global search and out of the umpteen thousand of possible recruits, the best guy was the one we clashed with in the pay dispute. What a coincidence.

“Whatever happened to moving forward and building bridges.’’

Players nicknamed Roberts “Video Kev’’ during the dispute when he released a video conveying CA’s side of the story.

In his first press conference in his new role, Roberts promised to build bridges and look forward rather than back.

Kevin Roberts, Cricket Australia's new chief executive, has promised to build bridges and look forward rather than back.

That’s a good thing because some of the bridges left behind in the pay war looked as if they belonged in war-time Germany after an Allied bombing.

But despite the stigma that rides with him, Roberts is coming into the job at a good time.

The pay dispute has been sorted. Australian cricket, broken and dishevelled after the ball-tampering affair, now has a mandate for change.

Roberts may be not be the players’ sweetheart but who said it was a popularity vote?

Former chief executive Malcolm Speed was an example of the sort of boss the Australian players may not have loved but grew to grudgingly respect and, in the end, that meant even more.

Kevin Roberts (right) and Cricket Australia chairman David Peever at Wednesday’s press conference.

Roberts’ appointment was either a matter of him simply being considered the best man for the job or an “Up Yours Delores’’ message from CA and a statement that even though the players effectively won the pay war, the balance of power had shifted CA’s way after the ball tampering in South Africa and they stood by their actions.

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Originally published as Incoming CA chief Kevin Roberts vows to build bridges, leaving pay dispute furore in rearview mirror