" Pat Howard lands key CA job" 2011 Australia news

"One of the things about rugby and cricket that is similar is that the fortunes of the game rely heavily on the performance of the national team. Other sports can rely on domestic competition and domestic wins and losses. Cricket and rugby can't. The Wallabies need to win; the Australian Test team needs to win. As an Australian public we don't accept anything less, so it's a great challenge."

 

"The Argus review is a fantastic platform to build from, being able to dissect that at every level, engage at every level," Howard said. "The fact that Australia is not on top means there is some real upside, I think. A mandate for change and growth is not always possible when you're No.1. The Argus review was a really great watershed moment and I think it presents a really good opportunity.  

Howard will take up his new role in mid-November, allowing him time to wrap up his current position as chief operations officer of Cromwell Property Group, and he hopes to squeeze in a trip to South Africa to meet Australia's squad during the ongoing series, which begins with a Twenty20 on Thursday. He will be based at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane and will work closely with state cricket managers around the country in an effort to co-ordinate national player development.  

Howard was unveiled at Cricket Australia's Melbourne headquarters, where he showed the kind of confidence and poise expected of a man who has played sport at the highest level and forged a successful career off the field. In explaining why Howard would be the key figure around which Australia's rebuilding process would begin, the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland pointed to his strong background in various fields, including his time as general manager of the high performance unit for the Australian Rugby Union.