England cricket’s season of woes continues, with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison stepping down on Tuesday, according to Mail Online.
Clare Connor, former England captain and current managing director of women’s cricket, will serve as an interim replacement for Harrison, according to the report.
The news comes after England men’s cricket managing director Rob Key was appointed, as well as the appointment of all-rounder Ben Stokes as Test captain after Joe Root stepped down following the Test series loss in the West Indies.
England have also named former New Zealand captain and current coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) side KKR, Brendon McCullum, as Test team coach, with the white-ball skipper to be announced soon.
Harrison had been the ECB’s chief executive since 2014 and had stated earlier this year that he intended to stay in the position to help guide the Test team out of its difficulties.
England were thrashed 0-4 in the five-match Ashes series in Australia under Root, prompting Chris Silverwood to resign as head coach.
At that time, Harrison had said, “When times are really difficult you need people to step into that challenge and I am here to do that. I have never been more determined to do that. I am not running away from the challenge.
“It has been exceptionally difficult but I am not running away because it needs leadership and some consistency in terms of how we build back to a place where the game can recover from an extremely difficult period both on and off the pitch,” Harrison had been quoted as saying in February.
Harrison’s seven-year stint will be best remembered for introducing The Hundred.
(Inputs from IANS)