Cricket chief is stepping down in reshuffle

Tom Harrison is stepping down as chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board as the sweeping changes continue at the top of the game.

Harrison will depart next month, with managing director of women’s cricket Clare Connor taking over on an interim basis while a long-term successor is recruited.

The ECB is still without a permanent chair following Ian Watmore’s resignation last October, following an overhaul which has seen men’s director of cricket Ashley Giles, head coach Chris Silverwood and Test captain Joe Root all replaced since the turn of the year.

Harrison has proved a polarising figure at the head of the game since his appointment in 2014.

The 50-year-old was a major architect of the controversial decision to launch The Hundred, an eight-team city tournament which has faced criticism over his organisation’s response to the racism scandal which erupted last year.

He also drew fire for accepting a lucrative bonus in the aftermath of mass ECB redundancies.

But he has also offered sober leadership during the darkest days of the pandemic and helped keep the show on the road at a time when grimmer outcomes seemed possible and delivered the record £1.1 billion broadcast deal in 2017.

In a statement, Harrison said: “The past two years have been incredibly challenging, but we have pulled together to get through the pandemic, overcome cricket’s biggest financial crisis and committed to tackling discrimination and continuing the journey towards becoming the inclusive, welcoming sport we strive to be.”