Cricket: Vaughan leaving off his own bat

Justin Vaughan. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Outgoing New Zealand Cricket boss Justin Vaughan insists standing down was entirely his decision.

At a time of considerable personnel upheaval within the organisation, Vaughan will leave in November after four years as chief executive.

He cited the needs of his young family - he has three children aged 13, 11 and 7 - and the weight of international travel as persuading him it was time to get off the treadmill.

"It's entirely of my own accord, 100 per cent," the 44-year-old former international said yesterday. "I'm conscious there has been change [at NZC] and certainly a good chunk of me would love to be able to stay and see the fruits of what's been planted.

"I've been spending a lot of time overseas, and every time I go away it's been gnawing at me that really I ought to be spending more time with my children."

Vaughan also said that as the 2015 World Cup was being co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia, it was important the new person had a couple of years to settle into the job.

"It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime event," he said. "It should be brilliant for cricket [here] in many ways, as we're seeing at the moment with rugby. We've got to be prepared and ready to make most of it."

The search for Vaughan's successor will start shortly and his personal view is that he favours a New Zealander as chief executive.

Australian influence is growing within the game here. The NZC director of cricket, John Buchanan, new national selection manager Kim Littlejohn and New Zealand coach John Wright's two chief assistants are all Australian.

"We are New Zealand Cricket, we're representing our country and I always feel if a New Zealander is as good as an overseas person, then it ought to be a Kiwi who does the job."

Vaughan cited establishment of an eight-year agreement with the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association as a high point of his tenure - "when all other boards around the world are struggling to forge relationships with their player groups" - and the new Future Tours Programme, which has plenty of activity against the two big financial providers, India and England.

On the field, he singled out the World Cup victory over South Africa last March to make the semifinals when New Zealand "showed such great courage and spirit against the odds".

Vaughan's time has had difficult periods, notably the imbroglio over star fast bowler Shane Bond, who signed for the Indian Cricket League in 2008, angering Indian board officials promoting the rival Indian Premier League.

He also worked through the launch of the IPL and involvement of New Zealand's top players in it; and this year's tough financial pill of a $3 million shortfall in player payments caused by the appreciating New Zealand dollar when much of New Zealand's revenue is paid in US dollars.