Cricket Australia chairman David Peever resigned. Photo / Getty
Cricket Australia chairman David Peever resigned. Photo / Getty
Cricket Australia chairman David Peever has resigned from his position as the head of Australian cricket effective immediately.
Peever announced he would stand down from his role after a week of controversy in which the Cricket Australia culture was deemed "arrogant", "bullying" and "dictatorial" in the independent cultural review releasedMonday, building pressure throughout the week.
Despite being appointed to a further three-year term at the helm of CA's board at the organisation's annual general meeting last Thursday, Peever confirmed his decision to resign this afternoon amid continuing fall-out from the crisis that began in South Africa last March.
He repeatedly declared during the Cricket Australia cultural review press conferences on Monday that he had no intention to resign.
However, The Australian reports a phone call from a state administrator on Thursday forced Peever to pull the pin on his chairmanship.
Earl Eddings, who was appointed CA's deputy chairman and heir apparent at last week's annual general meeting, is set to serve as interim chairman.
Peever was unanimously re-elected at Cricket Australia's annual general meeting last Friday, at which point state associations were yet to read The Ethics Centre's scathing report into Cricket Australia's culture.
It had been reported earlier this week that disgruntled administrators were unwilling to attempt a coup to force Peever's resignation.
Behind the scenes, however, their voices were clearly heard.
The Herald Sun reported Peever tendered his resignation to the board before a meeting of directors on Thursday afternoon.
His decision to walk away was confirmed by Cricket Australia and he tendered a resignation at the board meeting this afternoon.
It ends a tumultuous period for Australian cricket where Australia's reputation around the cricketing world has taken a beating while the game has simultaneously taken giant strides forward in the commercial sphere — highlighted by a record $1.2 billion TV rights deal.
Peever's decision to walk means captain Steve Smith, coach Darren Lehmann, CEO James Sutherland and high performance manager Pat Howard have all vacated their position since the ball-tampering scandal rocked Australian cricket during the tour of South Africa.
Cricket Australia Chairman David Peever has stepped down. Photo / Getty
It's understood the appetite for change across the Aussie cricket state associations varied dramatically around the country as late as Thursday morning.
To oust Peever, the state associations needed to call an extraordinary general meeting and then form a two-thirds majority vote in favour of removing the chairman.
As the states considered their positions, there were widespread public calls for long-serving board member Mark Taylor to replace Peever as chairman.
"Everyone is jumping the gun in terms of wanting to make widespread changes," Taylor told Wide World of Sports.
"Let's wait for things to settle down in the coming weeks, see how the dust settles and work out what's best for the game.
"I serve as chairman at the pleasure of the board and I serve as a director at the pleasure of our owners, the states," he said.
Former captain Ian Chappell argued players have every right to feel angry and disillusioned given Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Banrcoft are the only three individuals to receive any form of sanction despite Monday's findings.
"I played in the time when it was master-servant relationship. It seems to me he (Peever) is trying to take it back to that level. Ridiculous," Chappell told the ABC.
"If the buck stopped with him, he'd be gone."
Aussie cricket great Simon Katich also called for Peever's head.
"The states will have that decision to make, probably in the coming week if they seek fit," former Test opener Katich told radio station SEN.
"He's probably going to have to think long and hard about his tenure as chairman. Because it hasn't been an ideal couple of years under his watch.
"The ball-tampering scandal has happened under his watch. The MoU negotiation happened under his watch.
"After what happened last year there's a lot of mistrust (between players and administrators)."
Former England captain Michael Atherton said Peever "will be lucky to survive".
"It is hard to see how David Peever, the chairman, can remain in his post," Atherton wrote in The Times.
BREAKING There is black smoke coming out of Cricket Australia chimney. I understand a move was made this morning. Watch this space for an announcement on chairman’s future.
