LONDON: England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison will step down in June after more than seven years in the role — part of a major overhaul following a slump in Test results.

Since the turn of the year, managing director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles, head coach Chris Silverwood and Test captain Joe Root have all been replaced, with the ECB chairmanship currently vacant as well.

Clare Connor, who is currently Managing Director of England Women’s Cricket, is set to take over when Harrison leaves until a permanent successor has been appointed, the ECB announced on Tuesday.

Root resigned last month following England’s 1-0 defeat in the West Indies, which left them with a miserable record of just one win in 17 Tests, and has been replaced by all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was last week appointed as coach while former England batsman Rob Key is the new managing director.

According to reports in British and Australian media, Matthew Mott, head coach of the Australia women’s team, is the front-runner to take charge of the England men’s limited-overs side.

Harrison, who played for Northamptonshire and Derbyshire, took over as CEO in 2015 following stints at IMG and ESPN Star Sports. He oversaw the introduction of the new-format Hundred, the inaugural season of which took place in 2021, and during his tenure England won both the men’s and women’s 50-over World Cups.

He also helped the ECB navigate the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the racism scandal that rocked English cricket after several players, including former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq, alleged they were victims of institutional racism at their clubs.

“It has been a huge honour to be CEO of the ECB for the past seven years,” Harrison said, adding that the last two years in the role had been 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.

“Cricket is an extraordinary force

for good in the world and my goal has been to make the game bigger and ensure more people and more communities in England and Wales feel they have a place in this sport.

“The long-term health of cricket depends on its ability to grow and remain relevant and be more inclusive in an ever-changing world.

“I have put everything into this role, but I believe now is the right time to bring in fresh energy to continue this work.”

Martin Darlow, interim chairman of the ECB, said: “When the [coronavirus] pandemic struck, it was Tom’s leadership that brought the game together and saved us from the worst financial crisis the sport has ever faced.

“He has always put the interests of the game first and worked to lead important change to make our game more accessible and inclusive, though we all know there is still much more work to do.”

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2022