Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland insists it’s his role to see the sport through the fallout of the ball-tampering saga as details of the governing body’s cultural review were released on Thursday.
Sutherland and other high-ranking CA officials will be surveyed in the wide-ranging review, which will be completed before the start of next summer by not-for-profit organisation The Ethics Centre and its director Dr Simon Longstaff.
CA has tasked The Ethics Centre with determining if there are any cultural, organisational or governance issues within CA and the sport, and if there are links between that and player behaviour.
The Ethics Centre has a history of pushing for stronger and more ethical standards of governance and business, and was last year scathing of the Australian Olympic Committee when it conducted an independent cultural review of the organisation.
Cricket’s four-phase review – promised by Sutherland upon the lengthy suspensions of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft – will act to try and ensure the sport is never again tarnished like it was through March’s horror South Africa trip.
Sutherland himself has come under fire in some quarters since the tour, but maintains he wanted to be the man to help initiate change.
“I haven’t thought about (resigning as CEO) and I really see the responsibility I have to push through this and deal with the situation,” he told SEN on Tuesday.
“The board have expressed their confidence in me to me and my management team. We will continue to do our job. It’s for them to make judgements on that.
“This is an opportunity for the game to get better and it will be better through this.”
Sutherland, who has been at the head of Australian cricket since 2001, has overseen a period in which participation rates have more than tripled and attendances doubled.
However player behaviour has popped up as a regular talking point throughout that time.
That behaviour will also be addressed through an interrelated past and present player-led review into the culture of the Australian men’s team, which will include new Test captain Tim Paine and his yet-to-be-appointed coach.
Led by former Test opener Rick McCosker, Paine and the coach will also be joined by Pat Cummins, former limited-overs captain George Bailey, one-time Test captain Shane Watson – as an Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) nominee – and women’s vice-captain Rachael Haynes.
That panel will report back to The Ethics Centre, as well as considering a player behaviour charter for men’s teams.
“We understand and share the disappointment of fans and the broader Australian community about these events,” CA chairman David Peever said.
“The board is determined to do all we can to prevent such events from ever happening again.
“We have full confidence that Simon and his team, along with Rick and the player panel, will be able to fully review and identify recommendations for improvement.”
The ACA also welcomed the review, but questioned why it hadn’t gone beyond the appointment of Watson as part of the players’ review.
“Culture starts at the top and we welcome investigation in to all aspects of cricket’s culture, organisational structure and governance,” president Greg Dyer said.
“The ACA outlined proposed Terms of Reference earlier in April and it is pleasing that much of the detail has been adopted.”
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