Earl Eddings named CA chair without unanimous support

Earl Eddings, the Cricket Australia chairman, has begun his permanent tenure the same way his predecessor David Peever ended his - without unanimous support from the six state associations that own the governing body.

Cricket New South Wales and its chairman John Knox, who advised Peever that his position was untenable following the release of the independent cultural review into CA earlier this month, advised Eddings of their support for his position on Tuesday. However, his own state of Victoria declined to support a process by which the chairman moved from interim to permanent while two vacancies remained on the Board.

These roles, left by Peever and the long-serving Mark Taylor, are to be filled through a nominations committee process that would feature the involvement of NSW but has yet to begin. Cricket Australia's Board ultimately determined that it needed to move ahead with Eddings' appointment through until the end of 2019 for reasons of stability, and also to allow the chairman to fulfill his substantial ICC duties - the next meeting of the global body's executive board is set to take place in February.

Nevertheless, the lack of support from Cricket Victoria, which has a new chairman in Paul Barker, following the retirement of Russell Thomas earlier this year, and two other recently appointed directors in David Hussey and Phil Hyde, leaves CA lacking the united front it has been desperately striving for since Peever's exit.

Extensive consultation with the states around the chairman's status has been accompanied by an overdue peace summit with the Australian Cricketers Association, and the new chief executive Kevin Roberts' removal of two polarising senior executives in Pat Howard and Ben Amarfio.

"Cricket Victoria has made its view clear and our preference remains that the interim Chairman arrangements were maintained while Australian cricket undertakes a thorough process to fill the recent Board vacancies," Barker said. "We have actively encouraged Cricket Australia to pursue this opportunity through an established nominations committee - a process that Cricket Victoria firmly believes would deliver the best outcome for Australian cricket."

The Board director Jacquie Hey, who accompanied Peever at his public announcement of the cultural review's findings, said CA was trying to now establish a measure of continuity. "There's no question this year has been a challenging one for cricket and for Cricket Australia," she said. "Our aim is to ensure management are empowered to rebuild trust and strengthen the game.

"Earl's involvement over the past decade provides continuity in a time of change and enables the Board to maintain strong relations with the ICC, other member countries and our valued partners. Earl is a well-regarded member of the team with a solid understanding of our history and the need for better working relationships across the cricket community."

A CA director since 2008, Eddings had accompanied Peever to this year's ICC annual conference in Ireland before being formally appointed deputy chairman at the AGM a few days before the review was released. "Cricket is only what it is in Australia because of the commitment of our people, the fans and the thousands of volunteers around the country," he said. "I am honoured to serve in this position and am committed to making cricket stronger and a game that we can all be proud of.

"It's important that, along with our owners, the State and Territory Associations, the players and the Australian Cricketers' Association, that we work harder than ever before to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds across the country and continue to strengthen cricket's privileged position as Australia's favourite summer pastime, whether you are a spectator, player or volunteer."