Appointment of CEO Nick Hockley is the first piece in Cricket Australia’s leadership puzzle

Wholesale changes in air as Cricket Australia appoint interim boss Nick Hockley as its chief executive officer.

Englishman Nick Hockley is now the permanent CEO of Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia has appointed Nick Hockley as its chief executive 12 months after Kevin Roberts was shown the door — just one piece in the puzzle ahead of a period that could see the game seeking a new Test captain, a new coach and a new chair of the board.

Tim Paine turns 37 in December and has acknowledged that it might be time to leave the game after the Ashes this summer.

The veteran, who had agreed to a day job before being called back to cricket and appointed to the captaincy, says he has not made any decision on his future.

There is the very real prospect that Paine could be asked to stay on given the absence of any obvious choice to replace him in the short term.

Steve Smith has made it known he would like a second chance at the job he had before being suspended. However, the recent fire surrounding Cameron Bancroft’s comments on the sandpaper scandal demonstrate just how sensitive that topic remains.

Were Smith to return to the captaincy his decisions and the behaviour of the side would inevitably be seen through the prism of the scandal Australian cricket wants to leave behind.

Pat Cummins is another candidate, but it would be a break from convention to appoint a fast bowler to the job.

Marnus Labuschagne is one of three Test batsmen on the contract list — the other two are Smith and David Warner — but is still an emerging player in terms of his standing within the team.

South Australian captain Travis Head struggles to hold down a place in the Test side. Both Head and Labuschagne are in England playing county cricket and both are struggling for runs.

One-day and T20 captain Aaron Finch is 34 and expected to stay in the job until the 2023 World Cup.

The other big appointment surrounds coach Justin Langer, whose four-year term is up at the end of the summer.

There are several conflicting forces at play when it comes to the former opener’s future. Changes to the captaincy in that period would suggest he stay for longer while people bed their jobs down.

Langer’s approach, however, has worn much of the playing group down and caused some internal concerns at the end of the summer. He was confronted by the playing group about his methods after the summer.

The revered Australian cricket figure was down a number of staff after pandemic cuts, but is expected to receive support with two assistants coming in to help alongside senior assistant Andrew McDonald.

Off the field, chairman Earl Eddings is requesting another term in the job he has held for three years, claiming he has not had time to groom a successor because of the pandemic.

If he is re-elected it will be without the full backing of Australian cricket.

Cricket NSW has written to the other states saying it does not support Eddings, while Queensland is in a state of confusion about its position.

Hockley’s appointment at least gives the organisation some stability after a 12 month period of discontent and uncertainty triggered by the pandemic and the handling of it.

He and Eddings did a good job in delivering a full summer schedule in trying circumstances, especially as that included dealing with an Indian team unhappy with its quarantine arrangements.

The Birmingham-born accountant cut his teeth in sports administration at the London Olympics and was later chief executive officer of the ICC T20 World Cup. He previously held a job as head of commercial projects at Cricket Australia.

“Nick was named interim CEO at an incredibly challenging period for Australian sport, and society in general, and there were many instances where the once-in-a-generation obstacles in his path must have seemed overwhelming,” Eddings said.

“But through his leadership, resolve, work ethic and vision for the game, Australian Cricket emerged stronger than ever. For that, Nick deserves enormous credit.”

Hockley, who is yet to meet all the Australian players because of the unique environment in which the game is being played, said he was keen to get on with the job.

“Over the past 12 months, I have learnt first-hand about the breadth, scale and importance of the role,” he said. “My approach has been and will continue to be to bring people across the game together, as I believe this is fundamental to achieving our full potential.

“The change and complexity brought about by Covid-19 has created lots of challenges, but also plenty of opportunities. By working together with our partners across the game, I feel confident and optimistic about cricket’s ability to rise to the challenges of the modern world and thrive.”