“On behalf of Cricket Australia,I would like to offer my deepest condolences to Jack’s wife Sue,his daughters Georgie and Lucy,his extended family and many friends,all those fortunate to have known him.”
Clarke became chair of CA in 2008,replacing his fellow South Australian Creagh O’Connor,in the wake of the fractious 2007-08 “Monkeygate” season when India threatened to quit their tour of Australia amid the Andrew Symonds-Harbhajan Singh affair.
Clarke’s time was marked by numerous key decisions made for the future of the game,even as CA wrestled with the declining fortunes of the national men’s team following the retirements of Shane Warne,Glenn McGrath,Adam Gilchrist and Justin Langer,to name four.
Following the launch of the Indian Premier League in 2008,Clarke and CA’s then chief executive James Sutherland worked together to review the governance structure of the game,the financial model and also the possibility of expanding the state-based Big Bash into something bolder.
Ultimately,this became the BBL,which began in 2011 and eventually grew into a property that greatly increased the value of cricket in Australia by tapping into the Twenty20 revolution and broadening the game’s audience.
However,Clarke did face criticism for his reluctance to appoint a full-time selection panel,which between 2006 and 2011 was chaired by the former opening batter Hilditch – a colleague of Clarke’s in the Adelaide legal fraternity.
Clarke was also a key mover behind a failed bid by CA to install Howard as president of the International Cricket Council in 2010,a campaign that was staunchly blocked by the game’s south Asian and African nations.
“In any business model where a company has 75 per cent of the income it is not an ideal model,but that’s not India’s fault they do that,” Clarke said after the pitch for Howard was knocked back.
The 2010-11 home Ashes series,in which Australia lost three Tests by innings margins,forced Clarke to announce a major review of Australian team performance,led by Don Argus,that ultimately cost Hilditch his job.
Clarke retired as chair later in 2011,and was replaced by the former Test opener Wally Edwards,who followed through on the structural changes that Clarke had helped to initiate.
“While Australian cricket is often judged by its Ashes performances and Test cricket more generally,the reality is that CA has numerous other strategic aims that we use to measure success,” Clarke said at the time of his departure.
“Winning the Ashes is obviously a priority but it is not the sole focus. Growing participating levels to ensure cricket’s future and ensuring cricket remains attractive and accessible to all Australians is equally as important as our Test results. It is also critical that cricket generates sufficient revenue to appropriately fund the game at all levels.”
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These included the move to an independent board of CA directors,something that Clarke advocated for over the protests of his home state of South Australia and its then president,Ian McLachlan.
Nevertheless,Clarke remained a popular figure in Adelaide and a gregarious presence at the annual Test match,most recently the clash between Australia and the West Indies in January.
“Jack’s 21 years on the SACA Board is a testament to his unwavering commitment to South Australian Cricket and Cricket Australia and his passion for the game was evident to all who knew him,” SACA chair Will Rayner said.
“Jack was one of the true characters of the game. His laugh and zest for life was infectious,and we will miss him dearly.”
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