NSW says it won't block Cricket Australia reforms

Japan Herald (IANS) Saturday 11th February, 2012

New South Wales (NSW) said it would not block the much needed reforming in Cricket Australia's (CA) century-old board structure.

There are concerns that NSW, CA's most influential member, could join South Australia in opposing the reforms proposed by an independent commission.

Cricket NSW chairman Harry Harinath claims his organisation "in principle" supports the reforms.

Harinath, however, feels that wholesale changes of the Crawford-Carter Report may harm NSW's ability to continue producing the bulk of the country's leading cricketers.

"If you look at the cricket itself, NSW is not doing badly. We do the basics right, we develop players," Harinath was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

"By going from a federal to a central system, what will change for NSW?" he asked.

Harinath refused to say if NSW supported the report's recommendation of reducing the current 14 board directors to nine.

According to the recommendations, each state would be allowed to appoint one director who is not affiliated with cricket in that state before a further three independent directors were added.

Currently NSW, SA and Victoria have three directors each, Queensland and WA two and Tasmania one.

"We support a reduced number of directors on the CA board. I can't say what format that will take because we have to talk about that at the next board meeting," he said.

The CNSW board will meet Tuesday before stating their position to CA by Wednesday.

"CNSW believes the change is for the good but we have to know exactly what we're changing for the future and the role of commission. We have to decide what role the states are going to play," he said.