Australian North set to be England selector

Breaking news from the world of sport: Australian North set to be England selectorImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Marcus North played 21 Tests for Australia, including two Ashes seriesByStephan Shemilt Cricket CorrespondentPublished12 minutes agoEngland are set to appoint former Australia international Marcus North as their new national selector. As first reported in the Telegraph, the 46-year-old has been chosen after final interviews this week. The move is not finalised, but North would become the first foreigner in charge of selecting the England men's team.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has not commented. North, who played 21 Tests for Australia, has a long association with the English domestic game. Since 2018 he has been director of cricket at Durham, one of the six counties for who he played first-class cricket.

Match Details

At Durham, North has worked alongside England Test captain Ben Stokes. North is poised to replace Luke Wright in the most significant change in England's backroom staff since the 4-1 Ashes defeat. The departure of Wright, who served as selector for more than three years, was a personal decision and not linked to the loss in Australia.

North will join head coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and the Test and limited overs captains – Stokes and Harry Brook – in selecting England squads, with some input on the final XI for matches. Performance director Ed Barney and head of player identification David Court are also involved in selection. North's brief will include involvement in selection for England Lions, liaising with counties and leading a team of scouts.

Under McCullum, England have often ignored proven performers from county cricket in favour of the players they believe to have the attributes for international cricket. It will perhaps be North's role to provide balance to England's methods. He may only have a limited involvement in the process of choosing a squad for the first Test against New Zealand, beginning at Lord's on 4 June.

Reactions and Expectations

The squad is set to be named in the week beginning 18 May, with an England training camp in Loughborough commencing on 25 May. In the aftermath of the heavy loss in Australia, Stokes' team are likely to be looking for a new opener to replace Zak Crawley. Durham's Emilio Gay and Somerset's James Rew would be the leading contenders, and could both be named in the squad for the first Test.

The identity of England's frontline spinner and seamers to join the fast-bowling department would also be up for discussion. Around 80 candidates submitted applications for the selector job in April. These were then whittled down by initial conversations, leading to the final interviews.

In inviting applications, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it was looking for "significant professional experience and intimate knowledge of international and first-class cricket, including knowledge of emerging players and county network".

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.