Three governance focus areas for the new CA chair

Dr Lachlan Henderson Press Conference

Cricket Australia (CA) have just announced Lachlan Henderson as the new chair of the organization, in the hope of rebranding its 'transparent' era.

CA has had its fair share of governance issues in recent times and Henderson will bring a fresh face to addressing those challenges.

Put simply, more public trust in the organization needs to be restored as soon as possible. The handling of both the Tim Paine and Justin Langer sagas, as well as denying Steve Smith a go in the BBL, were all complete PR disasters. Sandpaper gate is also still fresh in the minds of the public from the previous administration.

Many former greats of the Australian team critiqued heavily how Justin Langer was treated earlier this month when he was indirectly cornered into resigning as coach. Ricky Ponting, Mark Taylor, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne were all outspoken about their criticism of CA's treatment towards Langer.

Critically, these voices are also a major part of the media, and therein sell the game to the public. If Henderson can manage to earn back trust with those names, it would help win back the general public too.

CA, to their credit, have taken enormous steps in women's cricket, especially by including Mel Jones on its board. But more cricket IQ is arguably better for the development, and adding other former Test players to the board should be considered.

It would also implant a recognizable face in the organization and better the relationship between the administration of the game and the public.

Every Australian state has always yielded a tremendous amount of power in the country's cricket governance, and many feel there is a disconnect between them and the national head office. The Chair will need to resolve that through strong leadership.

Having a background as the former Western Australian Cricket Association Chair will be advantageous. WA is a state that often feels unheard in national matters, even cricket, and hailing from Perth will certainly aid his ability to understand the state's point of view.

At a press conference, Henderson said he would seek to bring new perspectives and ideas to a new era in Australian cricket.

"The Cricket Australia board is relatively new, with seven of the nine members having been on the board for less than three and a half years, and the imminent appointment of a new independent director will bring further fresh ideas and perspectives," Henderson said when he was appointed.

He added:

"My love of cricket began as a kid growing up in Perth and the game has always been a big part of my life. As chair, my aim is to ensure the integrity and growth of the game in Australia with strong governance embedded at Cricket Australia and reflected in all levels of cricket, from elite teams to community clubs."