Cricket Australia (CA) has dismissed a senior staff member after an independent assessment substantiated an undeclared conflict of interest linked to procurement contracts worth more than $600,000.
The case centres on contracts awarded to a cloud services provider with links to the unnamed executive.
Whistleblower claims were first reported in an exclusive article by independent outlet Michael West Media (MWM) earlier this month, focusing on procurement controls, recruitment practices and vendor relationships within Cricket Australia’s technology function.
Cricket Australia released an official statement on Friday confirming the investigation had concluded.
“An independent assessment of claims made by an anonymous whistleblower concerning a CA staff member has been completed,” the organisation said.
“An allegation of an undeclared conflict of interest during a procurement process has been substantiated. The staff member has now left CA.”
According to reporting by MWM, two companies were at the centre of the investigation.
One company was registered in New South Wales in March 2025, with the departed executive listed as a director and shareholder.
The second company, which received the Cricket Australia contracts, was registered in New South Wales in November 2025, with a close associate of the executive listed as director.
The first major purchase order was reportedly issued on 18 February 2026, two days after paperwork terminating the associate’s directorship was lodged with ASIC.
The whistleblower report alleged that contractors connected to the vendor began appearing in Cricket Australia’s internal systems from mid-January 2026, before formal purchase orders had been raised.
It also claimed that no formal Request for Proposal (RFP) or detailed Statement of Work (SOW) process was completed before the contracts were approved.
Despite Cricket Australia’s 2024 procurement policy requiring dual approvals for contracts exceeding certain thresholds, the executive allegedly approved purchase orders totalling more than $600,000 without obtaining the required approvals.
The anonymous complaint was lodged in April 2026, with the whistleblower described by colleagues as a dedicated custodian of the game.
According to MWM, the whistleblower compiled a dossier containing ASIC records, company timelines and supporting documents, which was presented directly to Cricket Australia’s board before the matter was raised with the media.
The publication also reported that the whistleblower was later made redundant.
The allegations have prompted broader scrutiny of hiring practices within Cricket Australia’s technology division.
Several senior staff members within the division reportedly had prior professional associations with the executive dating back to their time at the National Rugby League (NRL).
Reports published by The Age state the executive had previously been investigated by the NRL’s integrity unit.
The whistleblower report questioned whether standard recruitment processes, reference checks and selection criteria had been applied consistently, pointing to several Sydney-based hires with similar professional and geographic backgrounds.
Cricket Australia has maintained that its internal review began before media reporting and said that, aside from the substantiated conflict-of-interest finding, no additional breaches of recruitment or procurement policy were identified.
According to MWM, CEO Todd Greenberg acknowledged the findings during an internal meeting, describing the executive’s conduct as an “error of judgment”. He also praised the departing staff member for having done “a great job” and did not take questions from staff during the meeting.
Cricket Australia recorded a net loss of $11.3 million in 2024-25 despite a successful summer that included record crowds for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It has also warned that its cumulative deficit could reach $100 million by 2031.
According to the whistleblower report, those financial pressures contributed to two rounds of redundancies over the past year, including the dismissal of the Head of Cyber Security and the Head of Customer Experience, as part of a broader restructure affecting around 20 employees.
It also argued that the removal of those roles reduced independent scrutiny of technology and procurement decisions at a critical time.
Cricket Australia has not publicly identified the former employee or confirmed whether contracts linked to the investigation will be reviewed or terminated.
