Lodnon: ECB chairman says “COVID has meant the role and its demands on time are dramatically different to all our original expectations, which has taken a personal toll on me”.
Watmore, after England’s pull out from Pakistan tour, had apologised to Pakistanis hurt by the move.
Watmore served as the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board for only 13 months, despite having been appointed for a five-year term.
The 63-year-old is leaving after consultations with the board of directors this week and his resignation will go into effect immediately, the British publication said.
According to ECB, Watmore, following the announcement, remarked: “It is with regret that I step down as Chair of the ECB, but I do so in mindfulness of my own wellbeing and that of the game which I love. I was appointed to the post in a pre-pandemic era, but COVID has meant the role and its demands on time are dramatically different to all our original expectations, which has taken a personal toll on me. Given this, the Board and I feel the ECB will be better served by a new Chair to take it forward post pandemic. Leaving now, at the end of the season, gives the Board time to find a new Chair to support cricket through the challenges of the 2022 season and beyond.
“On a personal level, I also retired last month after five years at the Civil Service Commission and recently became a grandfather. I would now like to retire completely from work and enjoy our great game as a spectator.”
England’s men and women teams were due to play two Twenty20s in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. The women’s team were also due to play three ODIs in Pakistan on October 17, 19, and 21.
Following England’s cancellation, which came on the heels of New Zealand pulling out of Pakistan at the eleventh hour of their own tour over what they said were “security” concerns, Watmore apologised to Pakistanis hurt by the move.
In Watmore’s first public comments after England’s decision invited anger from the Pakistan Cricket Board and cricket fans around the globe, he said: “I’m very sorry to anyone who feels hurt or let down by our decision, particularly in Pakistan.”
