Ian Watmore, the Chairman of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has stepped down from his role with immediate effect, said an announcement by the ECB on Thursday. Watmore, the first paid chairman of the ECB, had served just 13 months out of his five-year term after taking over from a retiring Colin Graves in 2020.Current ECB deputy chair, Barry O'Brien, will step-up as interim chair. "It is with regret that I step down as chair of the ECB, but I do so in mindfulness of my own wellbeing and that of the game which I love," said Watmore.
"I was appointed to the post in a pre-pandemic era, but Covid has meant the role and its demands on time are dramatically different to all our original expectations, which has taken a personal toll on me.Given this, the Board and I feel the ECB will be better served by a new Chair to take it forward post pandemic. Leaving now, at the end of the season, gives the Board time to find a new Chair to support cricket through the challenges of the 2022 season and beyond. "On a personal level, I also retired last month after five years at the Civil Service Commission and recently became a grandfather. I would now like to retire completely from work and enjoy our great game as a spectator. "It was an unhappy final few weeks in the role for Watmore after the ECB Board's decision to cancel the T20 tour of Pakistan this month was roundly criticised. The lack of a clear explanation for the decision from Watmore and the chief executive Tom Harrison made matters worse. One of the first jobs for the new ECB chair will be to rebuild relations with the Pakistan Cricket Board. During his tenure, the ECB saw the delivery of a full cricket season along with the successful return of crowds, increased diversity on the ECB Board, the launch of the Disability Premier League and the creation of the Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) to explore matters relating to race, class, and gender in the sport.
