Nick Hockley has been appointed as Cricket Australia’s interim Chief Executive after Kevin Roberts officially resigned from the role on Tuesday (June 16). Hockley is currently the Chief Executive of the ICC T20 World Cup and also oversaw the conduct of the women’s edition of the tournament earlier this year.
“It’s been a privilege to lead and serve the sport I love as CEO of Cricket Australia,” said Roberts. “Our team of staff and players are outstanding people who contribute so much to the game and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together. I’d like to thank the army of volunteers in communities across the country who are the lifeblood of our sport, enabling kids to experience the game and to dream about emulating their heroes in our national teams. As a lifelong and passionate member of the cricket community, I look forward to seeing the game thrive into the future.”
CA’s chairman Earl Eddings thanked Robert for his services, also adding that the board will conduct an international search for a suitable candidate to replace him as cricket makes a return post the Covid-19 strike.
“Kevin has worked tirelessly since taking on the role in difficult circumstances in 2018, and particularly during the challenges of the past few months,” Eddings said. “He is a man of principle who has always put the best interests of cricket first. We wish him all the best for his future.
“Cricket, like all national sports, has been going through a period of significant change and – in recent months we have had the added uncertainty delivered by Covid-19. The entire cricket community has been affected and difficult decisions have been – and will continue to be necessary – to ensure that cricket at every level is in the best shape it can be now and in the future. It is essential that Cricket Australia continues to provide strong leadership and works constructively with everyone who has an interest in the future of the game – the players, all employees, the state associations, commercial partners and supporters.
Incidentally, Roberts’s position had become untenable because of weeks of disgruntlement between the board’s stakeholders and staff over the handling of the Covid-19 crisis, with the latter still waiting to hear about the extent of the announced redundancies.
