Two top cricket bosses sacked
CRICKET: The bloodletting has continued at Cricket Australia with senior executives Pat Howard and Ben Amarfio given their marching orders in a move that has shocked players.
Howard was in charge of CA’s high-performance unit and had intended to depart when his contract expired after the 2019 Ashes.
He will leave next week. Former Australia captain Belinda Clark, another member of CA’s executive, will perform Howard’s job on an interim basis until the governing body settles on a replacement.
Amarfio, CA’s general manager of broadcasting, digital media and commercial, has already been shown the door.
Australia’s one-day vicecaptain, Alex Carey, said players were surprised at the latest axings.
“We talk openly and honestly and obviously today’s news was a shock as well,” he said.
“JL (coach Justin Langer) is really clear with his messages and if there’s anything we need to talk about, we talk about it.
“So I don’t think it’s a distraction ... it’s all a bit of white noise for us.
“Although we do acknowledge it, our focus is still on winning games of cricket for Australia.”
New CA chief executive Kevin Roberts was under pressure to enact cultural change after The Ethics Centre’s scathing assessment of CA’s corporate culture.
“It is clear that we need to deepen our relationships with fans, players and the broader cricket community,” Roberts said in a statement.
“Everyone at CA is focused on rebuilding and moving forward after what has been a turbulent year.”
The Cape Town cheating scandal has prompted an overhaul at the sporting organisation, which has bid goodbye to coach Darren Lehmann, chief executive James Sutherland, chairman David Peever and two other directors this year.
Howard, appointed manager of team performance in 2011, was one of the governing body’s most polarising and powerful figures.
The creation of his senior role, which involved responsibilities including the hiring and firing of senior coaches plus helping conduct a formal investigation of the ball-tampering saga, was one of the key recommendations of the 2011 Argus Report.
Amarfio joined CA in 2012 and oversaw this year’s broadcast-rights negotiations, which resulted in a record $1.2 billion deal but public outcry over men’s ODIs and Twenty20s being shifted off free-to-air television.
Amarfio has long rubbed CA staff the wrong way, with the most notable example being a request that his secretary cook and serve him a hot breakfast in his glass-encased office.