Melbourne: Batting coach Graeme Hick became the biggest casualty of Cricket Australia’s cost reduction drive, under which 40 more staffers were laid off as the body grappled with a financial crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hick, a former England batsman, is the most notable among those handed the pink slip. “It’s a really tough call. It’s nothing he’s done, it’s more the impact of the cost cutting that we’re doing because of the COVID situation,” Australia coach Justin Langer was quoted as saying by ‘Cricbuzz’. “We’ll all have to adapt and again hopefully one of my strengths in the past has been able to adapt to different situations and I’ll have to lead the way. That’s the most important thing about leadership is that you walk the talk,” said Langer. Led by interim chief executive Nick Hockley, who replaced Kevin Roberts after his resignation on Tuesday, Cricket Australia came out with a plan on Wednesday that it believes will ensure “long-term sustainability and growth of the game.”
This included cutting bonuses of its senior management, removing 40 more staffers and “pause” international tours for the country’s A teams in a cost reduction effort to deal with the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, Cricket Australia, under Roberts, had decided to furlough about 80 per cent of staff at head office at 20 per cent salary amid the COVID-19 crisis. (PTI)
