Cricket Australia is ‘in no rush’ to find a new CEO

Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird is in no rush to appoint a successor to Nick Hockley, with the exit of the outgoing CEO in March still a volatile date.

Hockley addressed his final AGM as sports chief on Thursday, as Cricket Australia posted a better-than-expected loss of AU$31.9 million this financial year.

Players’ union boss and former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg remains the frontrunner for the role, while AAP is aware of interest from other CA executives.

Hockley had hinted at an exit in March when he announced his decision to move on, but remains open to staying beyond that if another is not readily available.

“The program is ongoing,” Baird said. “It is not surprising that many people are interested in the role. We will deal with it in a way that is considered as a board, there is no rush.

“We want to make sure we get the right person for the next phase. Nick is still there and he has a lot to do. We expect we can meet the timeline, but we’re very comfortable.”

CA’s annual loss came in what was expected to be a down year for the organisation, with neither England nor India touring last summer.

The shortfall was also bigger than the 2022-23 season, given that that year’s revenue was supported by hosting the men’s T20 World Cup.

The annual result has left the sports reserve amounting to $ 25.7 million amid the estimates of the Covid pandemic leaving the sport with $ 100 million.

“The expectation is that at the end of these two years we will have more than $70 million,” said Baird. “Obviously it’s a big step up relative to where we’ve been … we’re really excited about the next two [summers] and it appears in the forecast.”

Hockley emphasized that steps are being taken to make CA’s budget able to withstand a summer outside of India or England, with new content, investment, cost-saving moves and major digital assets.

Meanwhile, CA directors Lachlan Henderson, Greg Rowell and Clea Smith were all re-elected at Thursday’s meeting. Director Paul Green has announced that he will be stepping down soon.