Cricket Australia chairman David Peever resigned on Thursday after mounting pressure over the ball-tampering scandal blew up, triggering an exodus of senior figures in the governing body.
Peever was re-elected only last week, but calls for his resignation were growing amid the ball-tampering issue, which has caused outrage among Australians. He was also criticised for referring to the scandal as a “hiccup” in a TV interview.
“Cricket Australia has today confirmed that Mr David Peever has announced his resignation as chairman of the board of Cricket Australia, effective immediately,” the governing body said in a statement.
Peever's deputy Earl Eddings has been appointed as interim chairman. Eddings has said that the board has a long way to go to earn back the trust of the cricketing community.
An independent review following the scandal had slammed Cricket Australia conduct leading up to the tampering incident during the Test series against South Africa in March, where players were found to have tampered with the ball with sandpaper.
The review by the Sydney-based Ethics Centre found that an “arrogant” and “controlling” culture within Cricket Australia led to players resorting to cheating to win games.
Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were handed one-year bans and Cameron Bancroft was given a nine-month suspension for their roles in the incident.
Peever had until now kept his job despite the exit of CA chief executive James Sutherland, coach Darren Lehmann and team performance boss Pat Howard.
Former CA chief executive Malcolm Speed has called for former captain and current board member Mark Taylor to take over as permanent chairman.
(With inputs from agencies)
