Cricket Australia is on the cusp of appointing two replacements for Pat Howard, the team-performance executive sacked seven months ago in the aftermath of a damning independent review.
AAP understands a decision will be made possibly by the end of this week after an exhaustive recruitment process that included major input from state associations.
Howard's job, currently being performed on an interim basis by former national captain Belinda Clark, has essentially been cut in two.
One manager will work closely with national teams, while the other will be responsible for domestic matters and attempt to further improve CA's relationship with its state equivalents.
Ben Oliver, a WACA executive and Justin Langer's former right-hand man, has long been considered a frontrunner to claim one position while rowing great Drew Ginn, who is currently overseeing high performance at Cricket Tasmania, has emerged as another well-supported candidate.
CA head of cricket operations Peter Roach is among other names believed to be in the mix.
CA's board meets this week.
Momentum is building both on and off the field as the governing body seeks to further address the various issues laid bare by last year's independent report, which was prompted by the Cape Town cheating scandal.
One of the review's 42 recommendations was for the sport's high-performance system to be redesigned in collaboration with states.
The decision to split Howard's role was well received by them.
AAP understands the chief executives of two states were part of the panel that conducted the final round of interviews for CA's domestic team-performance manager, also reflecting a collaborative approach.
Many insiders expect the two appointments will be announced simultaneously but others believe their start dates could differ.
National men's coach Langer may be reluctant to change too much given his side have just started a marathon winter in England, where Australia's World Cup campaign will quickly roll into an Ashes series that doesn't end until mid-September.
Clark, who was in England while Langer's team acclimatised, has played a vital but largely unheralded role in the reintegration of Steve Smith and David Warner.
The 38-year-old has also helped achieve cultural change in the men's side while mapping out plans for this year's two Ashes series.
Clark, whose name adorns CA's most prestigious award for a female player, made it clear when Howard departed that she didn't want the job permanently.
Senior figures at CA hoped she might change her mind but it didn't happen and the executive will return to her former post as general manager of community cricket.
Australian Associated Press
