Andrew to join ECB board as director of professional game

Former England rugby union player and Sussex County Cricket Club chief executive Rob Andrew has been appointed as England's managing director of professional cricket, the country's cricket board (ECB) said on Friday.

Andrew, who was also Director of Rugby at Newcastle Falcons and Director of Professional Rugby at the Rugby Football Union, will have the responsibility of "growing and nurturing" men's and women's domestic cricket.

"It's fantastic that we've been able to bring Rob Andrew on board into such an important role," ECB CEO Richard Gould said in a statement.

"To bring in someone with the skills and the background of Rob is of huge benefit to us and the entire game."

Andrew, 60, played first-class cricket in his youth and had been at Sussex since 2017.

"My seven years at Sussex have given me a great insight into the landscape of professional cricket in this country, both men's and women's," Andrew said.

After making the switch to rugby in his youth, flyhalf Andrew made 71 appearances for England and was in the squads that won three Grand Slams and finished runners-up at the 1991 World Cup.