Who is Tom Harrison? Why has he left top ECB job, who is interim CEO Clare Connor, and replacement latest

England have suffered a devestating year in the world of cricket with just one win in 17 Test matches.

Not only did England encounter one of their worst runs in recent years, but it all culminated in a 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia earlier this year.

Following such an agonising result, the men’s head coach, assistant coach and managing director all resigned from their positions, before Joe Root later gave up his captaincy in the wake of England’s 1-0 defeat in the West Indies.

Chris Silverwood and Graham Thorpe both announced their departure from their coaching positions, while Ashley Giles revealed he would be stepping down as England men’s managing director.

In the latest twist regarding England’s reformed cricket set-up, it has now been announced that the chief executive officer of the England and Wales Cricket Board has stepped down from the role.

Harrison played professional cricket with Northamptonshire and Derbyshire, before taking on the role of CEO in 2015. He had previously been head of marketing between 2003 and 2006 before taking on the more senior position.

Harrison oversaw the ECB during the coronavirus pandemic and, while many of his decisions and responses were met with positivity, he was met with a backlash after accepting a large bonus earlier this year, shortly after taking a voluntary pay cut.

A group of senior managers, Harrison included, shared £2.1 million and drew criticism after they had made 62 redundancies as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition to the controversial decision surrounding his pay cut, Harrison also had to contend with the racism scandal which engulfed Yorkshire and many other cricket organisations last year, as well as England’s disastrous results on the field over the past 15 months.

What has Harrison said?

In his announcement, Harrison said: “It has been a huge honour to be CEO of the ECB for the past seven years.

“Cricket is an extraordinary force for good in the world and my goal has been to make the game bigger and ensure more people and more communities in England and Wales feel they have a place in this sport.

“The long-term health of cricket depends on its ability to grow and remain relevant and be more inclusive in an ever-changing world.

“The past two years have been incredibly challenging, but we have pulled together to get through the pandemic, overcome cricket’s biggest financial crisis, and committed to tackling discrimination and continuing the journey towards becoming the inclusive, welcoming sport we strive to be,

“I have put everything into this role, but I believe now is the right time to bring in fresh energy to continue this work.”

Who has taken on the role?

Clare Conor, the managing director of Women’s cricket, will take on the role in the interim while they find a permanent replacement.

Former New Zealand skipper, Brendon McCullum, is now England’s head coach.

In this new England set-up, he will be joined by new managing director Rob Key and England’s new Test captain Ben Stokes.

McCullum has had limited experience in such a senior role but with such a shift in positions, England’s cricket set-up have made it perfectly clear that they will look to shake up the 2022 summer as much as possible.

When is England’s next Test match?

England play New Zealand in their first Test match of the 2022 summer on 2 June - 6 June. Their first of three Tests takes place at Lord’s Cricket Ground.