David Peever has been punted as the chairman of Cricket Australia, ending a black mark on Australian cricket.
But there could be a Mark of another kind to bring cricket back from the brink.
Mark Taylor.
There have been 38 chairmen since 1892 when Richard Teece opened the batting, but if Mark Taylor becomes the 39th, he’ll be only the second after Sir Donald Bradman to captain both the baggy greens and become president.
For those who thrive on history, both Sir Donald and Taylor share their career top Test score with 334 – The Don off 448 balls with 46 fours at Headingley in 1938, Tubby not out in Peshawar in 1998 taking 564 balls, with 32 fours and a six.
Taylor played his last Test in 1999 against England, retiring after 104 Test matches where he notched 19 centuries and 40 fifties. He is credited with building the team that his successor Steve Waugh would turn into the best in the world.
But, there are some important concessions Taylor must make to clinch the chairmanship, the most important his contract with Channel Nine.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor AAP Image/Darren England)
He can’t be president and a commentator – and that includes any journo jobs as well.
But they are minor compared to the major job the 54-year-old can do in repairing cricket’s shattered image.
Taylor, and former paceman Michael Kasprowicz, are the only baggy green members of the corporate-ridden, eight-strong Cricket Australia board, which Geoff Lawson described as concentrating on business cricket to the detriment of playing cricket.
The immediate danger would be if the six corporate board members left decide they’ll keep the top job among themselves.
That would create an explosive situation, the likes of which has never been seen in any sport.
That won’t happen on Taylor’s watch, it will be cricket first and foremost, and how it’s played – the corporates can take their turn.
Just don’t let the dirty water keep flowing under the bridge Cricket Australia, act immediately to install Mark Taylor as chairman to regain some sanity to the country’s biggest sport.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Nobody from the current board should be in line for the chairmanship. The chairman must be a clean-skin, not from within CA or ant State body, who will focus on the game, and drive revenue from that; and not to sell out the game in the pursuit of revenue.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Mark Taylor is as full of air as the product he recommends.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Why would anyone want that poisonous position!
Tony H
Roar Pro
Haha So true. Can't believe I've never noticed that.
George
Guest
Roberts showed his colours during the pay dispute. Another $utho in the making.
Big Daddy
Guest
Taylor is the organ grinder's monkey. When the board don't want to answer anything, they just front Taylor up on channel 9 to answer any awkward questions. Why hasn't Langer made an appearance on channel 9 although now 7 have the coverage you would think they would be on the front foot and take some involvement. They have been very inconspicuous except for renditions of " under the southern cross".
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
David, Taylor is the longest serving current board member having been there for more than ten years. Was he a dissenting or ignored voice around the board table or did he believe that CA was being governed and administered well and the spirit of cricket was being upheld? If it was the former and he felt the game was heading in the wrong direction and his voice was not being heard he should have resigned as Bob Every did recently when he had major issues. If it was the latter, is it simply a matter of rearranging the deckchairs? For mine, I would appoint Dr Lachlan Henderson to the position. He was chairman of the WACA until he took up a high profile business position in Victoria. He came onto the boards of CA less than two months ago as Every’s replacement. He is well respected in cricket circles, very successful in the commercial world, au fait with the machinations of the CA board but given his very short tenure he is not tainted as many of the others are.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
absolute doppelganger for the Vicar of Dibley.
Paul
Roar Guru
David, I think there are a couple of strikes against Mark Taylor I don't think you've really addressed. One of the key issues that needs to be addressed is the huge gulf (not a rift), that exists between CA and ACA. On paper, Taylor should be the ideal bloke to solve this, but he stupidly sided with Peever and co during last year's dispute, which has shown where his allegiances lie. Like it or hate it, cricket in Australia is big business and the Board Chairman MUST have a high degree of business acumen, which is not a strength of Taylors. I'm not saying he has to have an in-depth understanding of big business, but as Chairman, he's responsible if things go wrong financially. If he lacks business knowledge, how can he know when things are starting to slide and, more to the point, how to fix financial issues. It's a very dangerous thing to have the head of an organisation completely dependent on others for financial advice; things can very quickly get out of control.
AREH
Roar Guru
I love the idea that he could become a dominant red-ball batsman, but Short has played a small amount of FC cricket, with an average just over 20. There would be at least 8-10 guys ahead in that queue, surely.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
Tubby could get Heals, Slats, Warnie and his other channel 9 buddies to join him
Nick
Roar Guru
Well Taylor has ruled himself out. Clearly he prefers the vacuous influence he has behind the Channel 9 mic, rather than improving the game through action and results.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
She stuffed the Bulldogs and is doing the same to RA.
Big Daddy
Guest
She would be great. Only thing is the other board members , would they be handle her and they would try and manipulate her. Prefer her to raelene castle. If Kerry was around he would have sorted them out.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
I agree with you completely on that one David. I think Roberts' position is as untenable as Peever's was. But are you aware of what the recruitment process actually was? I haven't the faintest idea. A lot of the problem with his appointment and Peever's re-appointment lies in the timing. If the Report had been released before those appointments had been made, do you think either of them would have been appointed? I doubt it very much.
David Lord
Expert
The board doesn't select. Judging by the selection of David Peever, and Kevin Roberts, it's just as well.
David Lord
Expert
How on earth could Kevin Roberts be appointed James Sutherland's replacement after a worldwide search by highly-skilled and experienced companies taking months? That's total rubbish Christo.
Bamboo
Guest
To be honest, given to amount of knobs that team has produced over the years I think they need a chairman that isn't afraid to tell players simply to shut the eff up. Given that, someone completely outside of the sport with no emotional attachment to any players I think is the key. The reality is the current culture is as a result of what has been going on for years, so to me that effectively should rule out anyone involved with Australian Cricket over the last 20 years. No one inside CA saw the culture as an issue before "sandpaper-gate", so I doubt they are the right people to solve the culture issue.
Don
Roar Rookie
There’s plenty of quality corporate chairs who can do a fine job for CA without the “noses in the troughs” odour about them. The current board would have also signed off on Pat Howard’s farewell tour as well. Letting him structure his own departure when I haven’t heard any one say a positive word about his time at CA is a mind boggling example of jobs for the boys. I’ve never seen an employee who by any public measure has done a poor job be given the latitude he has.
Matt H
Roar Guru
If she was the one who also ran netball in NZ, she might be ok. the fact is I don't have the qualifications or experience to nominate someone either.