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Australian cricket legend Ian Healy has been announced as the new Deputy Chair of Queensland Cricket and former Bulls paceman Joe Dawes appointed to a senior cricket role.
Queensland Cricket Chair Kirsten Pike, who replaced Chris Simpson in the role at last month’s Annual General Meeting, said the appointment of the Deputy Chair had been ratified at this week’s Board meeting with Healy accepting the nomination.
“As was the case when he was playing for Australia and captaining the Bulls, Queensland Cricket is in the best of hands with Ian stepping up to the role of Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors,” she said.
“His acumen in the cricketing and business world is first rate, and his passion for the game is well known and valued by all who know him.”
“There are exciting times ahead, and we are delighted that Ian has agreed to provide his skills and insights for this important role as we work towards our core purpose of promoting and growing cricket to ensure all Queenslanders can play, participate and enjoy the game,” Pike said.
Healy, who joined the Board in 2019, said he was privileged to be appointed to the role.
“It’s an honour to be asked to be Deputy Chair and I take on the position knowing there’s always heaps to be done,’’ he said.
“Whether that’s with our front-line players, the public performers who love to play well for Queensland and the Heat, or our backbone, the clubs, which are run by the volunteers who are what make Australian cricket great,’’ Healy said.
“It’s incredibly impressive what is achieved every summer at the grassroots. Long may our participants continue to develop their skills and experience the fun that comes with enjoying the game,’’ he said.
Healy was the world’s best wicketkeeper when he announced his retirement from cricket in 1999 and was selected as the keeper in the Australian Cricket Board’s team of the 20th century ahead of fellow greats such as Rod Marsh, Wally Grout and Don Tallon.
In all he played 119 Test matches and 168 one-day internationals from 1988 to 1999. He took 366 Test catches and made 29 Test stumpings for a total of 395 Test dismissals. Ian captained Australia in eight ODIs, winning five and losing three, taking 233 dismissals from 168 matches.
As well as a high-profile role as a commentator, he has been heavily involved in a variety of cricket roles since his retirement, including being a co-founder of the Bulls Masters and an office bearer with the Australian Cricketers’ Association.
He has worked at the grassroots through his involvement with the Bulls Masters and in Premier Cricket as patron of Northern Suburbs District Cricket Club.
Queensland Cricket also announced today that former Bulls fast bowler and international coach Joe Dawes would be its new General Manager – Elite Teams, Performance, and Pathways.
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said Dawes, 53, had been chosen following an extensive recruiting process to fill the role previously held by Bennett King who resigned in August.
“Joe was a very strong candidate amongst a high-quality group of applicants,’’ he said.
“He has extensive coaching experience across female and male programs both domestically and overseas and has strong leadership and strategic skills through his professional background. We’re excited about what he will bring to our environment and look forward to welcoming him to the team at the end of the month,’’ Svenson said.
Dawes took 238 first class wickets at 24.94 for the Bulls in a career that spanned 76 games between 1997-98 and 2005-06. At the time he was the eighth highest wicket-taker of all time for Queensland, and twice took 10 wickets in a match for the Bulls.
He combined his playing days with a career as a Queensland Police officer, serving with the QPS for 12 years.
Dawes returns to the Queensland Cricket fold after a highly successful coaching career that has seen him work with Papua New Guinea, the Indian Cricket team, the Australian Women’s team, Kings XI Punjab IPL team, Adelaide Strikers BBL team, South Australian Redbacks, and Queensland Bulls.
He was previously the Player Development Manager with Queensland Cricket, a role he commenced in his immediate post-playing days.
During his three years with Cricket PNG as head coach and High-Performance Manager, he oversaw their successful qualification for the 2021 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, the first time they had reached the highest level of ICC tournament play, a feat that they have recently completed again for the 2024 event in the West Indies and USA.
In more recent times, he has been an Adviser with the Federal Government in the Home Affairs & Defence portfolios and was the Senior Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition on S
