Geoff Allott quits New Zealand Cricket

Geoff Allott has resigned from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in the wake of the team's disastrous tour of Bangladesh, where they lost the one-day series 4-0. Allott, the general manager of cricket, will step down from his role, which focused on developing a long-term high-performance strategy, at the end of November.

"It became evident during my work on that strategy that New Zealand Cricket may require a different allocation of resources within high performance in the future," Allott said. "This was reinforced to me during the recent review following the Bangladesh tour.

"I believe our elite athletes and teams need a combination of the best available high performance expertise and the knowledge of cricket experts who understand the technical aspects of the game. On that basis the high performance structure that I consider is best for cricket's future would be different to the current structure and with a different allocation of resources.

"I have effectively restructured myself out of a job, but I truly believe this to be in the best interests of cricket. This was a difficult decision for me to make because I am passionate about the game that has given me so much. After a break with my family, I will consider several other opportunities that exist, both inside and outside of cricket."

Allott, the former Test fast bowler, joined NZC two years ago as part of a restructure of the organisation. NZC's chief executive Justin Vaughan said praised Allott's efforts in his time with NZC.

"Geoff has made an enormous contribution to cricket in New Zealand," Vaughan said. "He was instrumental in the negotiation of the ground-breaking eight-year agreement with the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association and has led the development of the high performance strategy with the unique insights that a former international cricketer can bring to the process."