CA board backs 'slow' Sutherland to continue at position

Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Wally Edwards has backed chief executive James Sutherland to continue on his post, saying that Sutherland's management team had done all that it could to avoid the cultural meltdown that has struck Australian cricket.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, although Sutherland, who is contracted until 2015, said that he had no reason to review his own position in light of the team malfunctions that ultimately led to the shock axing of head coach Mickey Arthur, however, he has come under scrutiny as the chief of an organisation that has failed to meet the standards set out in the Argus review.

The report further said that Sutherland was also criticised for being slow to take control of the behavioural issues that came to the surface during the disastrous India Tests.

However, Edwards praised Sutherland, saying that the CEO had driven major achievements for CA including landmark media rights and sponsorship deals, for which the board is supporting Sutherland to continue in his position.

But Edwards added that the team's operations and performances were probably the only areas where they have failed to live up to their expectations.

According to Edwards, the management's failure to achieve in terms of performances and operations led to the sacking of Arthur, adding that although they could have let Arthur stay until the end of his contract, they did not do so for the benefit of the team's management.

Stating that Sutherland had trusted team management to deal with the India fiasco on the ground, Edwards further said he believed that the cultural crisis erupted in India due to rise in stress levels, adding that it is yet to seen how the new coach resolves the yet-unsolved issues.

A long-awaited public show of leadership finally came from Sutherland when he slammed the behaviour of David Warner and his fellow drinkers at the Walkabout in Birmingham, describing their display as despicable, the report added.