David Peever, Cricket Australia's (CA) chairman, has resigned from his post on Thursday, week after being re-elected for the next three years. His shocking decision came after the scathing review into a ball-tampering scandal went public that condemned an "arrogant" and "controlling" culture at Cricket Australia that led to players cheating in pursuit of victory in South Africa.
Cricket Australia has confirmed Peever’s resignation which he submitted at the board meeting this afternoon. At the same time, Earl Eddings has been appointed the interim chairman.
Peever congratulated Earl on his appointment as CA chairperson and said, “I’d like to express my congratulations to Earl Eddings on his appointment as Deputy Chairman. He joined the CA Board in 2008 and is currently Co-Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cricket Advisory Committee, and he will continue to serve cricket in this important role.”
On the other hand, Eddings promised ‘recovering’ and ‘rebuilding’ of cricket in Australia. He said, “The board is keenly aware that we have a way to go to earn back the trust of the cricket community. We and the executive team are determined to make cricket stronger.”
Earlier, the CA review by the Sydney-based Ethics Centre accused Cricket Australia of ignoring the spirit of the game, leaving players without moral guidance. After the reports were made public on Monday, the pressure had been mounting on Peever to step down.
The ball-tampering saga had already cost Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft their places in the team. Further upheaval came with the resignation of head coach Darren Lehmann followed by the retirement of the CA chief executive, James Sutherland, two months later.
As learned from several reports, the board will soon hold meetings to find a temporary replacement for Peever.