Tributes Pour In for David Collier, Former ECB Chief Executive Who Passed Away at 70
David Collier's Legacy in Cricket
New Delhi [India] - David Collier, the former chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has died at the age of 70, according to reports from a sports media outlet.
Collier held the position of ECB chief executive for a decade, from 2004 until 2014. Under his leadership, England's men's cricket team celebrated four Ashes victories and achieved their first ICC trophy by winning the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2010. In 2011, England reached the pinnacle of the ICC Test rankings for the first time in history.
The women's cricket team also thrived during Collier's tenure, securing five Ashes series wins and clinching both the 50-over and 20-over World Cup titles in 2009.
A highlight of Collier's leadership occurred in the summer of 2005 when both the men's and women's teams won the Ashes. This achievement led to jubilant celebrations, with thousands of fans gathering in central London for an open-top bus parade.
Collier became the ECB's second chief executive in 2004, succeeding Tim Lamb. Prior to this role, he had various administrative positions with cricket clubs such as Essex, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire, and Nottinghamshire. Outside of cricket, he was a qualified hockey umpire and served as the chief executive of the Rugby League International Federation, later becoming Vice President at American Airways.
His tenure at the ECB was marked by a significant partnership with former chairman Giles Clarke, where they negotiated a groundbreaking £220 million broadcasting rights deal with Sky Sports in December 2004, which ended the long-standing tradition of English cricket being aired on free-to-air television. After his departure in 2014, Collier was honored with an OBE for his contributions to cricket.
Current ECB chief executive Richard Gould expressed his sorrow over Collier's passing, stating, “It’s immensely sad to learn of the death of David Collier. Everyone who knew and worked with David will speak to what a gentleman he was, and to how hard he worked in leading our game.”
Gould further noted, “He served cricket with great distinction, and he was instrumental in a period of growth which has contributed to where the game is today. Some of our earliest advances in the women’s and disability games were made under David, and I know he was proud of taking the game forward during his time at the ECB – his contribution speaks for itself.”
“The thoughts of all of us at the ECB are with everyone who knew and loved David,” he added.