Four focus areas for the new CA Chairman

Dr Lachlan Henderson Press Conference
Dr Lachlan Henderson Press Conference

Cricket Australia (CA) have just unveiled Lachlan Henderson as their new chairman. He's got a big job to do from the get-go.

Here are four key focus areas for CA administrators to resolve in the post-Langer era.

Address coaching debacle and lock in a new leader

The national side will require a swift move to lock in Justin Langer's successor as head coach of the national side.

Andrew McDonald is the current interim coach, having taken over a few weeks ago in the wake of Langer's resignation. If he is the man wanted for the job, it would be in everyone's interest to give it to him now, especially ahead of a tough tour of Pakistan.

The chairman has also said he would lead an inquiry into Langer's departure, in the hope of avoiding a similar saga in the future.

It has been reported that McDonald wants clarity on whether the coaching role will be split between the three formats before further discussions. Other contenders for the coaching role, Trevor Bayliss, Michael Di Venuto, and Jason Gillespie, should be addressed and considered.

Big Bash audit

The Big Bash League (BBL) is falling victim to its own monotiny and predictability. CA will need to re-invest in stronger innovations to keep the league afloat, even if that means parting ways with a significant dollar amount.

BBL - The Knockout: Thunder v Strikers
BBL - The Knockout: Thunder v Strikers

That could mean shortening the season, allowing a higher number of international players, introducing new clubs, or changing the fixture to weekend rounds.

A key component of reviving the BBL, as well as the easiest, would be to find a window where as many Australian internationals as possible are available to play the tournament.

New broadcast deal

A new broadcast deal would set the ball rolling for a BBL revival. Currently, the BBL simply has too many fixtures just to satisfy the existing TV deal, which is due to expire in 2024/25.

Newscorp mastheads report that Channel 7 is eager to regain the Tennis rights from Channel 9. They are especially keen to get rid of the BBL, having tried twice to sell it to Channel 10.

That means cricket - or maybe just the BBL - will require a new TV station in as little as two years.

Elevate women's cricket

CA, to their credit, are the world's best when it comes to women's cricket. But the chair has the opportunity to include other nations in elevating women's cricket.

They could pressure India to implement a women's IPL program, potentially changing the game forever in the same fashion as what the BCCI did to the men's game.

After Australia and England's incredible Test match late last month, it's clear more women's Tests need to occur - and more nations should join the fun.

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