The Gauteng Cricket Board will set up a committee to find a new chief executive to replace Alan Kourie, who was asked to "consider early retirement" at a board meeting on Wednesday night.
Among the frontrunners the committee may be considering are North West Cricket Union CEO Jacques Faul and the former CEO of the KwaZulu Natal Cricket Union, Cassim Docrat.
Though no official announcement has been made, and yesterday new GCB chairman Lazarus Zim refused to comment, it is widely understood that Kourie was asked to stand down as CEO.
Kourie claimed this week that he "didn't know anything", but it is believed he is considering legal advice before deciding whether to head for the exit.
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Although there was widespread praise for Kourie's running of the union from a commercial perspective at Wednesday night's board meeting, his inability to get the Highveld Lions - the union's professional team - to be more successful, to hang on to top players and the lack of transformation from a playing staff point of view angered many cricketers and club chairman in the region.
One chairman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "good riddance" about a man described variously as a "divisive character".
"He has done a fantastic job commercially bringing in money, but there's more to his job than just that. He doesn't only get evaluated on the money he brings in; there was anger over the lack of transformation, nothing being won, and the loss of top players," said another board member.
Kourie has served as CEO at the GCB for six years and it is believed that should the new board want to be rid of him, they would have to do so with a golden handshake that could be in the region of R5-million.
Kourie is the second major casualty of the fallout from the GCB's spat with Cricket South Africa. Former GCB chairman Barry Skjoldhammer received no support to be elected onto the new board.
The GCB were initially punished over their insistence that CSA make known the terms of their deal with the Indian Premier League.
A number of suite-holders were left irate that their hospitality boxes had been taken over during IPL matches at the Wanderers.
The Wanderers had their matches for the coming England series reinstated only after government intervention.
In return, they agreed to elect a new board and draw up a new constitution and a transformation charter.
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This article was originally published on page 24 of The Star on October 10, 2009
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