Paul Downton ended a torrid 14-month tenure as managing director of England cricket when he was sacked on this day in 2015. (More Cricket News)
The former Test wicketkeeper was judged to have the right mix of on-field experience and business savvy from his time in the city, but was overwhelmed by events during his turbulent reign.
Taking over from Hugh Morris, he picked up the aftermath of the brutal 2013/14 Ashes whitewash and immediately took ownership of the decision to ex-communicate star batter Kevin Pietersen, whose own relationship with the squad had fallen into disrepair.
The ECB was later forced to apologise for breaching a settlement agreement with Pietersen following comments made by Downton to BBC바카라s Test Match Special.
Downton바카라s judgement was questioned when he reappointed Peter Moores for a second stint in charge of the team despite his previous failure in the role, hailing him as the 바카라best coach of his generation바카라 and 바카라the future of English cricket바카라.
Although Moores narrowly outlasted him, a dire performance at the 2015 World Cup reflected badly on both men.
New ECB chief executive Tom Harrison made the call to oust Downton while the Test team were on tour in the West Indies, declaring: 바카라Paul is a man of great integrity. Today has been a very tough day for the ECB and we바카라ve made a tough decision on a highly respected member of staff.
바카라Today is about the future of cricket. Today is about where this organisation is set to go over the next four to five years.바카라
The brief for Downton바카라s job was tightened and rebranded, attracting a more current figure in the shape of recent Test captain Andrew Strauss. With a renewed emphasis on elite performance, he replaced Moores with Trevor Bayliss and set the groundwork for England바카라s World Cup triumph in 2019.
His time at Canterbury proved more productive, overseeing promotion to Division One of the County Championship in his first year and subsequent titles in the T20 and 50-over formats. He retired at the end of the 2023 campaign amid plentiful praise for his work.
