Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland should be nervous about his future, along with the players, if Australia loses a fourth successive Ashes campaign against England, said a Australian media report.
Sutherland has been in the position since Australia was a power house in 2001 and has now survived longer than any player following the retirement of Ricky Ponting last season.
According to News.com.au, the last time Australia lost an Ashes series at home during 2010-11 led to a ruthless catalyst for change with the Argus report that followed carving a swath through the change rooms and back offices of the game.
Although the report said that Sutherland deserves credit for driving major governance reform on the back of the Argus review's mood for change, how long he remains in the job could be tied to the fortunes of the national team as there will be a need for accountability if Australia's stocks do not improve.
Stating that no one is more accountable than a long serving chief executive, the report also said that although CA chairman Wally Edwards has assured Sutherland he has the board's 100 per cent support, who holds the Ashes in three months' time may have a significant bearing on the answer.
