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Hugh Morris
will step down as managing director of England cricket to take up the
role as chief executive and director of cricket at Glamorgan.
His departure will leave a vacancy near the top of the ECB hierarchy and
adds to the debate over Andy Flower's future after weekend reports that
he was nearing the end of his time as team director.
Morris, 49, joined the ECB in November 1997 at the end of his playing
career with Glamorgan. He was initially the board's technical director
and subsequently served as managing director of England Cricket since
September 2007. He also served as ECB performance director and as acting
chief executive of the board in 2004.
He oversaw one of the most successful periods in English cricket history
which has included three consecutive Ashes series victories, rising to
No. 1 - albeit briefly - in all formats of the game and securing the
World Twenty20 title in 2009. The women's team also found unprecedented
success with World Cup, World Twenty20 and Ashes victories. During his
time with the ECB, he was also responsible for revamping the board's
coaching and science and medicine programmes.
"This has been a remarkable period in the history of cricket in England
and Wales and I have been extremely proud to having been able to play a
part in it," he said. "In my time at the ECB I have been fortunate to
work with some extremely dedicated and talented cricketing people and I
thank them and the board for the support they have given me and their
contribution to the success of the England teams.
"It has been my privilege to work with Andy Flower, the England team
director, during the last four years and congratulate the players on
their three Ashes series successes, being the number one ranked team in
the world in all three formats of the game, and also winning one ICC
global event and being runners-up in another. I am sure they will go on
to even greater achievements in the future.
"Under Clare Connor and Charlotte Edwards, the England women have also
won the ICC Women's World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 - successes
which have brought great credit to ECB and I thank them for their
dedication and commitment."
David Collier, the ECB chief executive said: "Hugh has been an
influential figure within the ECB since its inception in 1997 and his
vision has helped deliver this outstandingly successful period in our
cricketing history.
"He will be sadly missed at Lord's by all the ECB staff and at
Loughborough where he provided the blueprint for the widely admired
National Cricket Performance Centre. We all wish him well on this latest
phase of his career with Glamorgan."
Morris, a former left-handed opening batsman, was one of the most
consistent and successful batsmen in Glamorgan's history. He will now go
back to the county as a senior executive.
"I am now looking forward to a new and exciting challenge with Glamorgan
which I will tackle with energy, enthusiasm and relish," Morris said.
"I wish the England teams at all levels and the ECB the very best of
luck in the coming years and I am sure they will enjoy further success."
Glamorgan chairman Barry O'Brien was thrilled to have Morris returning.
"We are delighted to have been able to appoint a person with the calibre
of Hugh Morris who has achieved so much as managing director of England
Cricket," he said. "He was also one of our most reliable and prolific
batsman scoring almost 20,000 first-class runs at an average of more
than 40, but in addition to being a very fine player he has demonstrated
in his many roles at the ECB that he is also an administrator of the
highest ability."
Morris became Glamorgan's youngest ever leader in 1986. He stood down
from captaincy at the end of the 1989 season to concentrate on his
batting. After scoring 10 centuries and 2276 runs in 1990, he returned
to captaincy in 1993 and led Glamorgan to the Sunday League title. After
retiring, he took up the post of technical coaching director with the
ECB.
He played three Tests for England in 1991, and 314 first class and 274
List-A matches. He scored 19785 first-class runs, including 53 hundreds,
at an average of 40.29.
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