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Cricket Australia's board is expected to soon appoint a permanent chief executive, with Englishman Nick Hockley having acted in the role for almost a year.
Having already navigated more crises in a year than some figureheads face in a lifetime, Nick Hockley will soon learn whether he has the backing of Cricket Australia's board to continue as chief executive.
Hockley has been performing the top job at CA on an interim basis since June 16, 2020.
The Englishman replaced Kevin Roberts amid growing unrest, especially among some state associations and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA), about the sport's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CA's board made it clear they would not rush to name a permanent successor, wanting to wait until at least the end of the season to conduct a thorough worldwide search.
Most stakeholders, with the notable and vocal exception of free-to-air broadcaster Seven Network, were understanding.
Some are now feeling less patient, wanting greater certainty amid the ongoing wait ahead of a vital summer headlined by male and female Ashes series.
The growing widespread expectation is Hockley will be appointed, potentially before the end of this financial year.
CA has started interviews with candidates, including at least one believed to be based outside Australia, but is yet to flag any sort of deadline.
"The process is certainly underway," Hockley told AAP.
"As to when and what the time frame is, I can't comment.
"I've been consistent from day one that it's a great privilege to be in this role and I'll do my absolute best until told otherwise.
"The past year has been tough but also extremely rewarding, certainly the highlight of my career."
CA is in its off-season but, as reaction to the Indian Premier League shutdown and Cameron Bancroft's remarks show, that term doesn't apply in the sport.
Hockley has spoken with several media outlets and conducted two press conferences in a week dominated by renewed intrigue and divisive debate about the ball-tampering scandal.
The Oxford-educated administrator is one of few key CA figures with a complete disconnect from the sandpaper saga, having been head of the 2020 Twenty20 World Cup organising committee when all hell broke loose in Cape Town.
Hockley failed to offer much in the way of clarity nor insight, sticking to the same script that Tim Paine spoke from in Hobart.
He was likewise conciliatory and economical with public words throughout CA's scrap with Seven, when counterpart James Warburton's "most incompetent administration I've ever worked with" sledge was one of many barbs.
On that occasion, public opinion turned in CA's favour.
Staging the SCG Test amid Sydney's coronavirus cluster attracted criticism from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and others.
It also won Hockley admirers in high places, especially given he helped convince India's powerful cricket board to push on with Tests in Sydney and Brisbane despite their team's objections to a strict hotel lockdown.
Hockley's productive working relationship with ACA counterpart Todd Greenberg, who shaped as a potential rival for the CA job if he actively chased it, throughout the IPL crisis has also been timely.
The current pay agreement expires next year; CA is desperate to avoid a repeat of the unforgettably ugly spat of 2017.
"Strength comes through adversity ... the whole of Australian cricket has come together to work very closely and constructively," Hockley said.
