Continuing turmoil means English cricket is no longer the world’s role model

Where should countries which aspire to develop and grow the game of cricket look for an administrative model on which to base their efforts? Currently, the answer is unlikely to be the England and Wales Cricket Board.

On April 15, the resignation of the captain of the national Test team was added to the existing vacancies for chair, managing director and head coach of men’s cricket.

The previous chair resigned on Oct. 7, 2021, after only thirteen months in post, whilst the head coach, batting coach and director of cricket lost their positions in the wake of a disastrous performance in Australia. As an interim move, former captain and director of cricket between May 2015 and October 2018, Sir Andrew Strauss, was appointed director of the men’s team on Feb. 2, 2022.

Strauss had previously been appointed in September 2019 as chair of the ECB’s Cricket Committee which has a brief to help ensure that there is a thriving professional game at the heart of the sport. Within this remit, he has set in motion a review into the role and structure of the domestic game which, in the opinion of some observers, is not producing players capable of becoming successful international cricketers. His clarion call is that the ECB should not be afraid of being “ambitious, bold and radical.”

This is a view that was expressed clearly by the captain, Joe Root, before he chose to resign, having previously reiterated his desire to continue a reign that has seen him captain a record sixty-four matches. The reason for this can only be speculated upon. Rumors about the identity of the new managing director and coach have been circulating for days, reportedly being narrowed down to two candidates. One is an Australian considered to have done a top