The sacking of senior executives Pat Howard and Ben Amarfio could finally bring an end to bloodletting at Cricket Australia, with the board likely to appoint a new chairman by the end of this week.
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An overhaul of the governing body, triggered by the independent report that was commissioned by CA's board in response to the Cape Town cheating crisis, claimed two more scalps on Wednesday.
Howard, who was in charge of CA's high-performance unit and intended to depart when his contract expired after the 2019 Ashes, will leave next week and be replaced on an interim basis by former Australia captain Belinda Clark.
Amarfio, CA's general manager of broadcasting, digital media and commercial, is already out the door.
New CA chief executive Kevin Roberts, under pressure to enact cultural change after The Ethics Centre's scathing assessment, suggested there would be no more "significant change at an executive level in the months ahead".
Roberts, appointed by deposed chairman David Peever, could yet be tossed out by CA's board.
But that is unlikely to happen. Especially after making two "tough decisions" that shocked many, including players preparing in Adelaide for Friday's ODI.
"That's a fair question," Roberts said, when asked why he isn't joining the exodus.
"(The independent review detailed) three key positive involvements I've had in various areas and one that wasn't so positive.
"My key learning out of that is to really build the ACA (players' union) relationship.
"We've all made mistakes that we reflect on.
"Everyone at CA is focused on rebuilding and moving forward after what has been a turbulent year."
Coach Darren Lehmann, chief executive James Sutherland, Peever and two other directors have left since the sandpaper scandal, while Steve Smith and David Warner were sacked as captain and vice-captain.
CA's board is expected to settle on its new chairman before new directors replace Peever and Mark Taylor.
Earl Eddings, who is already serving as interim chairman, is considered favourite.
Jacquie Hey, CA's first female director who also sits on the board of ASX top-50 companies Qantas and AGL Energy, and 2015 World Cup chief executive John Harnden have been floated as contenders but it's unclear whether they actually want the job.
The independent report condemned the high-performance environment that former Wallabies five-eighth Howard oversaw, suggesting it was "winning without counting the costs".
The creation of Howard's senior role, which involved responsibilities including the hiring and firing of senior coaches plus helping conduct a formal investigation of the ball-tampering saga, was one of the key recommendations of the Argus review.
Roberts defended Howard's record, arguing "Pat has brought high performance in cricket into the 21st century".
Australia's one-day vice-captain Alex Carey admitted players were surprised at the latest axings.
"We talk openly and honestly and obviously today's news was a shock," Carey told reporters in Adelaide.
"I don't think it's a distraction ... it's all a bit of white noise for us."
Australian Associated Press
