Cricket Australia's head of umpiring Simon Taufel has quit, as the winds of change continue at head office.
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Fairfax Media understands Taufel took early leave last week and will not return before his contract expires on Friday, just a fortnight before the 2018-19 season opens with the domestic one-day series.
Taufel had only been in the role as match referee and umpire selection panel manager since August 2016, having been recruited by CA's head of performance Pat Howard to improve the standard of umpiring and provide the craft with greater recognition.
It's understood Taufel has left on his own volition, with suggestions he became frustrated with the leadership in the sport.
A CA spokesman said ''personal decisions'' were behind Taufel's departure.
Taufel has been praised by umpires, in particular for his detailed approach to the match official accreditation course. Taufel's primary role was overseeing umpires and referees at first-class and Big Bash League level, where he was meticulous in having match referees appraise the performance of umpires.
One umpiring source said he was "well known for his serious, precise, professional approach to match management issues" but there were suggestions he "has had difficulty carrying all key people forward with him". There have also been suggestions funding for his area had been cut.
Taufel came to the role amid concerns that the management and training of umpires and match referees at a first-class level had slipped considerably, to the point these issues could have legal ramifications.
After a distinguished career as an on-field umpire, he had been the umpire performance and training manager with the International Cricket Council from November 2012 until joining CA.
Taufel, from Sydney, stood in 74 Tests, beginning at a young age of 29. He also stood in 174 one-day internationals and 34 Twenty20 internationals. He was the ICC umpire of the year each year between 2004 and 2008, his attention to detail a signature trait.
He brought this to his off-field roles but is understood to have become frustrated with CA in recent times.
His departure continues a period of upheaval at CA's Jolimont headquarters since the ball-tampering scandal erupted in South Africa in March, leading to the suspensions of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
CA is beginning to close in on a new chief executive to replace James Sutherland, who gave 12 months' notice when he announced in June he was leaving but could be gone by early in the new season. The CA board will soon begin interviews of the short-listed candidates, including CA's second in command Kevin Roberts, former Cricket NSW chairman John Warn, Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman John Harnden and WACA chief Christina Matthews.
There are also at least two board positions up for grabs, including a replacement for West Australian Bob Every, who quit after a falling out with chairman David Peever over the hiring of The Ethics Centre to conduct a review into CA's culture. The separate McCosker review into the culture of the team is also ongoing.
CA is dealing with a case before Fair Work where former Tasmanian government relations staffer Angela Williamson has claimed she was unfairly dismissed over her social media remarks about abortion. Human Resources director Anthony Allen and integrity department chief Iain Roy have also left.
