Povey to retire after nine years at Warwickshire

Colin Povey, the Warwickshire chief executive, is to retire at the end of the year after almost a decade at the club.

When Povey was appointed in February 2006, he took over a club whose ground was in urgent need of redevelopment and whose team was in transition.

He leaves with Edgbaston having completed a £30m redevelopment and secured a raft of major fixtures - including the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, and a World Cup semi-final and Ashes Test in 2019 - over the next few years. Next week's Ashes encounter will be his final Test at the helm.

Warwickshire have also regularly challenged for trophies in recent years, winning the County Championship in 2012, the Pro40 title in 2010 and the NatWest Blast in 2014.

Povey had previously been CEO of Carlsberg and captain the England waterpolo team. He also coached and represented the Great Britain side.

The recruitment process will begin shortly with James McLaughlin, the current CEO of Cure Leukaemia who spent six years as commercial director at Warwickshire, a likely frontrunner. David Smith, the former Warwickshire batsman who has been CEO of Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, is another possible candidate.