Bob Merriman is ACB chairman

Bob Merriman is the new chairman of the Australian Cricket Board. His appointment was confirmed at Friday's ACB Annual General Meeting in Melbourne, after the long-serving Denis Rogers did not seek re-election.

Merriman, of Victoria, was an ACB director since 1991 and was appointed to the position of deputy chairman in May 2001.

Merriman said: "This is a rare privilege to work with the current board of directors in leading Australian cricket into the future. I am extremely proud to have been given this opportunity.

"I have big shoes to fill, as Denis Rogers performed the role of chairman with distinction; however, I am looking forward to the challenges at hand and helping Australian cricket improve on its position of strength."

Rogers, who was ACB chairman since 1995, will remain as Tasmania's sole representative on the 14-man board.

"It has been a genuine honour to have performed the role of chairman for the past six years. There have been a number of challenges, but I believe the game in this country remains in good shape.

"There is still much work to be done on all fronts to enhance cricket's health, and I look forward to working with the directors and Bob Merriman in taking the game to new heights," Rogers said.

Merriman, 65, is the current president of the Victorian Cricket Association, a position he has held since 1997, and has represented the VCA at board level since 1982. He managed the Australian team to India in 1979 and, from 1984 to 1986, became the first full-time team manager appointed by the ACB, overseeing tours to England, India and New Zealand, as well as a home series against the West Indies.

From 1980 to1986, he was also the co-ordinator of the ACB's Cricket Committee, a position which required him to act in a judicial capacity under the ACB's Code of Behaviour.

Away from cricket, Merriman was the longest serving commissioner of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, becoming one of the country's leading figures in settling large-scale industrial disputes and unfair dismissal cases.