Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird quits over BBL privatisation row; David Boon named interim chair

Cricket Australia (CA) chair Mike Baird has announced he is standing down, after a backlash over the partial privatisation of the Big Bash League, Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition.

The decision came after Cricket NSW, the governing body in Baird’s home state of New South Wales, withdrew its support for him when CA pressed ahead with the sale of the struggling Melbourne Renegades franchise.

“After much consideration I have decided to stand down as CA Chair and Director,” Baird said in a statement on Monday. “I believe Australian cricket continues to be well led by the CA Board.”

Baird will leave after Cricket Australia’s annual meeting in late October.

Boon steps in

Cricket Australia has named former Test opener David Boon as interim chair. Famous for his bushy moustache, Boon is something of a cult figure in Australian cricket, and since retiring as a player he has served as a national selector and as a state cricket administrator.

“It is an enormous honour to take the role of Interim CA Chair during what is a hugely exciting and also challenging time for cricket,” Boon said.

A divisive plan

Cricket Australia has been looking for private investment in the Big Bash League to secure the game’s finances in the years ahead. But selling off parts of the competition has split the country’s state associations.

An initial proposal to sell stakes in each of the BBL’s eight teams stalled earlier this year, amid concerns that the states, the traditional custodians of the game, would lose control. The states lined up as follows:

State association	Position
Victoria	Supported
Western Australia	Supported
Tasmania	Supported
South Australia	Open to the idea
New South Wales	Rejected
Queensland	Rejected

The Renegades are one of two Big Bash teams based in Melbourne, alongside the Melbourne Stars, and have been described as a struggling franchise. Their sale, which went ahead despite the opposition from some states, proved the breaking point for Cricket NSW’s backing of the chair.

Private money and the modern game

The debate in Australia reflects a wider trend in world cricket, where franchise T20 leagues have become major sources of income and a magnet for outside investors. Boards have to balance the money that private owners can bring against the risk of losing control over how the game is run, and who benefits.

Closer to home, Pakistan’s national side is preparing for an Asian Games semi-final on Thursday after rain sent them through to the last four, and on Sunday Australia lost an ODI series in South Africa, beaten by 32 runs at the Wanderers.

Why it matters

The chair is the most senior figure in Australian cricket’s administration, and Baird’s departure shows how deeply the privatisation question has divided the sport’s leadership. The next chair will inherit the task of either winning over the states that opposed the plan or finding another way to fund the game’s future. Choosing Boon, a respected former player, as interim chair gives Cricket Australia a familiar face while it decides on a permanent replacement.

This article draws on reporting published by Dawn.