Sydney: Retired mining chief David Peever has become the new chairman of Cricket Australia, the organisation said on Friday, replacing the outgoing Wally Edwards.

Peever, 58, the former managing director of Rio Tinto Australia, was elected at the cricket body’s Annual General Meeting in Melbourne.

Peever, a Cricket Australia director since 2012, becomes the first chairman in CA’s history to be elected to the position independent of state interests.

He takes over after the end of Edwards’s four-year term, which was marked by changes to the game’s governance and national financial model.

‘This is a key time for Australian cricket. A lot of significant change has occurred for the better on and off the field,’ Peever said in a statement.

‘But in an ever changing world, I believe we have to work harder than ever before to maintain cricket’s privileged place as Australia’s traditional summer pastime.’

Co-staging a successful World Cup this year with New Zealand helped boost CA’s annual revenue to Aus$380.9 million (US$270 million), putting it in a position to invest strongly in the development of the game.