A former Australian captain who is suing Cricket Australia over a historical allegation of sexual abuse says he has come forward “to call out both those who take advantage of the vulnerable and the organisations who protect them”.
Dean Reynolds led Australia on the 1985 under-19s tour to India and Sri Lanka, where he has alleged he was sexually touched by the coach Bob Bitmead. He filed a statement of claim in the Queensland Supreme Court in July that seeks damages worth more than $4 million from CA.
Dean Reynolds outside the Gabba.
Bitmead has previously denied the allegation. McKenzie died in 1998. CA has lodged its defence, denying all of Reynolds’ claims.
CA’s defence denies that Bitmead abused Reynolds and then says: “The claim is excessive and has no proper regard to the evidence; and, any injury resulting from the subject incident (which is denied) has resolved”. CA’s defence also argues that “the nature and extent of any duty of care owed by the defendant (CA), or by Bitmead, which is not admitted, is a question of law to be determined by trial”.
The case is set down for mediation on November 14.
Now 57, Reynolds was interviewed as part of a 2022 investigation of the tour by the ABC, an episode that led him to reconsider his own experiences in 1985 and afterwards.
“I am sharing my story now because I seek closure and feel it is important to demonstrate bravery in speaking out against authority figures who have acted wrongly,” Reynolds told this masthead.
“I know I am not the first or the last, but it’s important to call out both those who take advantage of the vulnerable and the organisations who protect them, either directly or by choosing to look the other way.”
A CA spokesperson declined to comment as the matter is before the courts.
Reynolds was one of Australian cricket’s best and brightest. He was captured in a picture with his father, the Queensland Sheffield Shield stalwart Raymond Reynolds, in November 1985. Dean’s steely eye, Australian Cricket Board shirt and Symonds Super Tusker bat all look destined for Test matches in the future.
This was, after all, a time when Australian cricket was crying out for new talent. The retirements of Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh were followed by bans imposed on 16 players for choosing to play in apartheid South Africa that summer.
Reynolds appeared to be near the front of the queue of aspiring young players.
Dean Reynolds at the Gabba with his father Ray in November 1985.
In his statement of claim, Reynolds has alleged that after falling ill during a match in Mumbai, he was confined to his hotel room, administered with drugs by McKenzie that left him in “a groggy and semi-conscious state”, and then sexually abused by Bitmead.
After the tour, Reynolds can remember discussing problems from the tour with its manager, Jack Bennett, once their return flight landed in Sydney.
Reynolds made a formal complaint to Bennett about Bitmead, but was never contacted for follow-up by the then Australian Cricket Board.
“Under Australian law, sporting bodies can bear vicarious liability for the conduct of their officials, including coaches and doctors,” Reynolds’ lawyer, Travis Schultz, told this masthead.
“They owe a duty of care to their players, and in Dean’s case, it is alleged that this extended to undertaking appropriate background checks and ensuring proper supervision.”
In its defence, CA has argued that by the “then prevailing community standards”, there was nothing more that could have been done to protect Reynolds.
“There was no act, step or precaution, whether by means of a reasonable system of supervision, inspection and monitoring of the children on tour, which would have protected and avoided the risk of harm alleged of sexual abuse as alleged in paragraph 7 of the Statement of Claim (which are not admitted), or risk of harm of that nature or type in such a way or such a time, to have avoided the harm allegedly occasioned to the Plaintiff.”
Bitmead did not coach at elite junior level again, and resigned as senior coach of the Richmond cricket club during the following season.
Cricket Australia headquarters in Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
In the years since, Reynolds has battled alcohol problems and recurring bouts of major depression. These issues have contributed to struggles in holding down jobs and the failure of relationships.
His son, Cody, is a promising young fast bowler, and in 2023 represented Australia at under-19s level on a tour of England before serving as a reserve for this year’s World Cup.
“That tour would ultimately change the course of my life,” Dean Reynolds said of the 1985 tour. “The events that occurred not only shattered my hopes for an international cricket career, but also had devastating consequences for me as a person – consequences I still struggle to manage and live with today.
“The people who – in the absence of my parents – were entrusted to take care of me as a vulnerable 17-year-old on tour, did the unthinkable and irrevocably changed my path.
“What happened has affected me greatly over the years, and confronting these experiences has been overwhelming at times. My focus now is on improving as a parent and restoring my mental and physical well-being. I just want to lead a straightforward, wholesome life, with integrity.”
The image of Reynolds with his father Ray at the Gabba was taken in the week Dean was to debut for Queensland against Western Australia in a Sheffield Shield match. A couple of days before the game, he became ill with glandular fever and missed the next 12 months of cricket.
Reynolds appeared sporadically for Queensland development sides in later years. In August 1989, for Queensland Colts against an Australian Cricket Academy team featuring Michael Bevan and Brendon Julian, he carved 90 from 101 balls with a couple of sixes. But the drive had gone.
“I should have been on top of the world yet, despite these successes, the tour left me increasingly disillusioned with the sport I once loved,” Reynolds said. “By the age of 21, I made the tough decision to step away from professional cricket entirely.
“The loss of my passion for cricket marked a turning point. I transitioned into other fields, pursuing careers in hospitality and later as a flight attendant. While I found new paths, the sense of loss and unfulfilled potential has remained with me over the years.
“Seeing my former teammates go on to achieve successful careers in cricket, some as coaches and directors, has been a mix of pride and sorrow. While I am genuinely happy for them, it serves as a constant reminder of the opportunities lost, the demons I still face and the career that might have been.”
As one contemporary said of Reynolds: “Dean was a good player. No one really understood why he just disappeared. What a shame.”
