Andrew Jones thrown into NSW hot seat Newly appointed Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones Source: The Daily Telegraph CRICKET NSW has appointed the former Cricket Australia head of strategy Andrew Jones as its new chief executive. Jones comes into the position during a tumultuous time for cricket in the state after former CEO Dave Gilbert had stood down in January following 11 years in the role. The Blues firstly sacked coach Anthony Stuart last season but that led to calls from former NSW great Brett Lee to go "right to the top" and axe Gilbert. Gilbert ultimately went of his own accord amid complaints of poor communication and player disharmony that had seen high profile stars such as Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes defect interstate. Jones has a business and cricket background, working in management consultancy roles and having worked with Cricket Australia and state organisations in various roles since 2004. He has also played grade cricket for UNSW for more than 20 years. Cricket NSW acknowledged the need to lift the sport in the state, saying in a statement: "The priority was to find the outstanding candidate to take Cricket New South Wales forward and return it to the position as the premier domestic cricket organisation in the world."