Rob Lynch stepping down as PCA chief to join MCC

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Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) chief executive Rob Lynch will stand down from his role in June to join MCC as director of cricket operations.

Lynch, who represented New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup in 2000, has been in his role at the players' union since October 2020. He initially served as the PCA's commercial director from February 2020 before taking on an interim CEO role following Tony Irish's departure in July of that year.

Lynch joined the PCA from Middlesex, where he was chief operating officer. He will return to Lord's to take up his new position at MCC once he has served a notice period that will last until June 28. Former Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell, currently COO at the PCA, will be promoted in an interim capacity to cover for Lynch before a permanent appointment is made.

Over the course of his tenure, Lynch helped the PCA navigate through the pandemic and has been a critical voice against an "unsustainable" domestic schedule putting player welfare at risk. Lynch also attended a parliamentary hearing in 2022 where he accepted failings on behalf of the PCA after Azeem Rafiq labelled the union "incredibly inept" for failing to support him over allegations of racism at Yorkshire.

In a statement released by the PCA, Lynch said: "Serving as the chief executive of the PCA has been the greatest privilege and challenge of my career. Representing the players is something I will cherish and the association is in a strong financial position, and is set-up to thrive as the sport evolves at a rapid rate.

"The growth of the women's game and equitable advancements, alongside the broader EDI perspective has brought immense and much needed challenge, with the PCA and player knowledge much better for this.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed working closely with the players and the wider game to progress standards for the benefit of our members.

"Thank you to everybody I have worked so closely with, including our Chair James Harris, Julian Metherell and James Cameron, the board, Richard Bevan, Eoin Morgan and importantly the most-dedicated group of staff I have witnessed in my professional career, they are a credit to PCA members and will no doubt continue to drive exceptionally high standards when I depart in late June."

Lynch, an MCC member and former Young Cricketer during the 2000 season, will succeed Jamie Cox at Lord's, with Cox joining Somerset as their new chief executive. The director of cricket operations' duties involved heading up the MCC's cricket departments and overseeing the club's global role, including guardianship of the Laws of Cricket and the MCC World Cricket Committee.

Matchday operations are also a feature and will begin almost immediately. Lynch officially assumes his role in July with the first men's Test match of the summer between England and West Indies beginning at Lord's on July 10.

MCC chief executive and secretary Guy Lavender said: "Following a thorough recruitment process, I am delighted to welcome Rob back to MCC. There was an extremely high calibre of candidates who applied for the role, and Rob was the standout individual.

"With cricket's ever-changing landscape, we are very fortunate to be appointing an individual who has such deep experience of the operations in the game, on and off the field. Rob is no stranger to Lord's and the structure of MCC, meaning he can hit the ground running as we embark on another busy summer.

"I would like to thank Jamie Cox for his huge contribution to MCC over the past three years. He has led on numerous projects during that time, including our cricket strategy and I wish him the best for an exciting role at Somerset. I am certain he will make a success of it."