Matter of trust: Kasprowicz quits Cricket Australia board as state anger festers
Former Test fast bowler has resigned from the Cricket Australia board after becoming frustrated with the direction of its leadership.
Former Test fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz has resigned from the Cricket Australia board after becoming frustrated with the direction of its leadership.
Kasprowicz contacted Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings on Wednesday afternoon to inform him of the decision.
It is understood Kasprowicz had become frustrated with the direction the board had taken in recent times and was particularly upset at the lack of trust between the board and its stakeholders.
The well-respected Kasprowicz decided to leave before his term was due to finish next year.
Kasprowicz’s resignation is significant as his experience in cricket administration covered a unique spectrum including stints as president of the players union (the ACA), interim chief executive of Queensland Cricket as well as his 38-Test career during Australia’s golden era.
His departure leaves the board without a male Test player. Mark Taylor resigned after becoming exhausted with dealing the players union though the board still has international cricket experience through the recently appointed former women’s star Mel Jones.
Kasprowicz confirmed his resignation on Wednesday but declined to elaborate on the reasons.
The board has been under fire in recent times due to its handling of the COVID crisis where it asked states to take a 25 per cent funding cut amid dire projections for Australian Cricket’s financial future. NSW and Queensland refused to accept the cuts and Queensland Chairman Chris Simpson last month spoke out at his body’s annual general meeting about his belief that the CA governance model was not working for the betterment of Australian cricket.
“The centralised model or the behemoth that CA has morphed into has consumed all aspects of cricket; assumed the role of the master of all matters cricket,’’ Simpson said.
“The states take offence to this – as we live and breath grassroots and the day to day running of cricket. The states have lost control of cricket. We are told from Jolimont St how to run cricket and we do not believe in many of these “systems and processes”.
• World Cup-winning Australian captain Meg Lanning has rejoined the Melbourne Stars for the next three WBBL seasons after three years with the Perth Scorchers.
The 28-year-old Victorian returns to the team she captained in the first two seasons of the WBBL before jumping ship to the Scorchers where she missed her first season with a shoulder surgery.
Only five players have scored more WBBL runs than Lanning who was the Stars’ inaugural women’s captain and the leading run-scorer in the first two WBBL seasons playing with Melbourne.
Lanning, who has signed a three-year-deal, returns to a team which finished bottom of the table last summer with just two wins from 14 matches. The Stars are also the only WBBL team to have never reached the finals.
“I’ve signed for an extended period and I’m really looking forward to building some momentum … to build a successful team,” Lanning said.
Lanning said discussions about resuming the captaincy would happen when training began.
The WWBL signing embargo has only just bee lifted, and the Stars have six players, including Lanning, on their roster to play under new coach Trent Woodhill.
Lanning said working with Woodhill, who has been a batting guru to the likes of David Warner, was a strong lure home
“His knowledge of the T20 game and to have worked with so many great players and different franchises in different tournaments is great experience to have, so I’m certainly looking forward to working with him and seeing what his philosophy is on T20 cricket especially,” he said.
Woodhill, who is also the list manager for both men’s and women’s squads, said having Lanning back was a massive boost for the Stars.
Additional reporting: Russell Gould
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