Middlesex appoint Angus Fraser as interim chair as recruitment process drags on

NICK FRIEND: Middlesex are searching for a successor to Mike O'Farrell but opted not to hire any of the candidates to come through the initial process and have now enlisted Fraser in anticipation of no replacement being found in time for April's AGM

Middlesex have given themselves time in the appointment of a new chair to replace the outgoing Mike O'Farrell by enlisting club legend Angus Fraser on an interim basis.

Fraser, who has served the county for the best part of three decades as a player, managing director of cricket and most recently in a developmental role, will effectively shadow O'Farrell until the current incumbent steps down at Middlesex's AGM in April, at which point he will take over until a suitable successor is found.

They have been actively looking for someone to follow O'Farrell since late November, when an advert appeared on the club's website.

But following the decision not to hand the job to any of their initial seven-strong shortlist, they are back to square one and restarted the process in early February.

The Cricketer understands that the decision not to appoint from the first round of applicants was down to a sense that the right person had not been found for what they consider a complex post.

The running of Middlesex is particularly complicated – and throws up different challenges to those that come with the chairship at most other counties – given they don't own Lord's and instead have a relationship to manage with the MCC.

^{Fraser made his first-class debut for Middlesex in 1984 (Mike Finn-Kelcey/AllSport/Getty Images)}

Therefore, they are keen for O'Farrell's replacement to have a handle on the nuances of that delicate situation.

The specification put out two months ago outlined the ideal candidate as "an individual of outstanding achievement, with the time, passion and commitment to devote to the board and associated stakeholders at this important time in the development of the sport, representing the club at a variety of levels ranging from local recreational cricket clubs and associations through to the government, and the ECB and MCC".

So, Fraser's presence provides an element of stability; few know the intricacies of Middlesex in greater detail.

In a statement on February 3, the county had insisted that an interim chair would only be sought from the point of the AGM – on April 4 – should no successor have been found by then.

But a new club statement explained that "having considered the matter further and taken external expertise advice", it was declared unlikely that an appropriate candidate would have been chosen and in place by then.

It added: "Given this, and given that there are a number of hugely important issues on the agenda for the game which will require significant involvement from each of the first-class county chairs in the coming weeks and months, including the ongoing ECB high-performance review and the forthcoming release of the Independent Commission into Equity in Cricket, the club has taken the decision to appoint an interim chair immediately, rather than wait until the AGM, to ensure that there is an appropriate and smooth handover from O’Farrell to an interim chair, prior to the appointment of a permanent chair."

Andrew Cornish, Middlesex's chief executive, described Fraser as "exactly what we need at this time".

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