Sutherland made public his decision on Wednesday, June 6, adding that he will serve a 12-month notice period before a suitable replacement is found to make the transition process smooth.

Sutherland has been associated with CA since 1998 and took over as the CEO in 2001.

“After nearly 20 years at Cricket Australia, the time is right. I feel very comfortable that this is the right time for me and a good time for the game,” Sutherland said.

“Aggregate attendances have increased by 137%, whilst revenue has also increased nearly ten-fold being around $50million when James commenced in the position, to around $500million today,” pointed out Peever.

“James was heavily involved with the introduction of the highly successful Big Bash League, Women’s Big Bash League and of course Day-Night Test Cricket which has seen record crowds at venues where it is held.”

The decision to step down from the CEO position, though, might have been because of the recent ball-tampering controversy. Steve Smith and David Warner have since been banned for 12 months, while Cameron Bancroft was handed a ban for nine months. This was followed by Darren Lehmann quitting as the coach of the national team.

At the time of the developments taking place, Sutherland had iterated that he had no intention of stepping down from his role.