Rod Marsh stands down as Australia chairman of selectors after run of defeats
Wednesday 16 November 2016 07:10, UK
Rod Marsh has quit as chairman of selectors following Australia's fifth straight Test defeat.
Australia were the top ranked Test side before being swept 3-0 in Sri Lanka in the summer and they are now 2-0 down at home to South Africa with one match to play in the series.
The selectors, coach Darren Lehmann, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland and high-performance manager Pat Howard have all come under huge pressure because of the run, but it is Marsh, whose contract was up in mid 2017, who is first to go.
"This is my own decision and no one within Cricket Australia has pressured me or even suggested that I should do this," Marsh said in a statement released by Cricket Australia. "Clearly, though, it is time for some fresh thinking, just as it is for our Test team to welcome some new faces as we build for the future.
"I have always had the best interests of Australian cricket foremost in my heart, and that's why I have made this decision."
Cricket Australia plans to appoint an interim chief selector for the remaining South Africa Test - starting November 24 in Adelaide - and for the three-Test series against Pakistan starting December 15.
Marsh was appointed chief selector in May 2014, replacing John Inverarity. He was previously Cricket Australia's manager of elite coaching development, head of the Australian Cricket Academy from 1990-2001, and worked for the ECB as director of its academy and later as a selector.
Cricket Australia chairman David Peever said: "We understand this decision has not come easily for Rod and on behalf of Australian cricket we thank him for his leadership and the integrity and insight he brought to the role throughout his tenure and the lifelong commitment he has given to our sport."
