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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have finally appointed their new selector, Marcus North. The former Australia National Cricket Team had already taken over the role ahead of the series vs New Zealand. The Three Lions announced their squad for the upcoming first Test match against the Kiwis. Since Marcus North’s appointment, there have been some shocking omissions.
Ben Stokes will be leading the side as of now, and the team’s former vice-captain, Ollie Pope, who had a terrible Ashes series in Australia, has been dropped, so as opener Zak Crawley. These two players have been dropped due to their poor performances in the last few test series, and the latter’s county form has also been terrible.
Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope dropped by Marcus North
Crawley, in the last 10 innings at the County Championship, has scored 195 runs. This has been one of the reasons for his omission; he had an average of 37 last year, being an opener. On the other hand, Pope has scored 359 runs with one hundred, but his form has also been poor.
Marcus North joins the ECB from Durham County Cricket Club, where he has been Director of Cricket since October 2018. In his new role, he will help pick all England Men's squads, from senior to Lions and Young Lions.
Marcus stood out through his knowledge of the domestic game- Rob Key
England Men's Managing Director Rob Key said: “We were really pleased with the strength and depth of candidates throughout what was a thorough and rigorous process for the National Selector role.
“Marcus stood out through his knowledge of the domestic game, his experience across different environments and the relationships he has built throughout county cricket over a long period of time.
“He has been heavily involved in the county game for many years, both as a player and more recently during eight successful years as Director of Cricket at Durham, where he has earned huge respect across the game.
“Marcus also brings international pedigree from his time playing for Australia, and we believe his experience and understanding of the player pathway and high performance environment will be a real asset to England Men’s cricket.”
I am absolutely delighted- Marcus North
Marcus North is happy to be the new selector for the ECB, and he feels honoured by the new role he has been entrusted with by the England Cricket Board. He said that he will look for the development of the Men’s team and will work closely with the County system as well.
Marcus North said: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed England Men’s National Selector. It is a tremendous honour to be entrusted with a role of such responsibility, and I am excited to contribute to the continued development of the England Men’s teams.
“Having spent the past several years working closely within the county game, I have seen first-hand the strength and depth of talent across the domestic system. I’m looking forward to working closely with the counties in identifying, supporting and selecting players who can thrive at International level.
“The opportunity to help shape the future of England Men’s teams is one I’m incredibly passionate about. I’m excited to get started working closely with Rob, Brendon, Ben, Harry and the wider performance team in building squads that can compete consistently and successfully across all formats.
England squad for the first Test vs New Zealand: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
Also Read: England squad for 1st Test against New Zealand announced; Jofra Archer RULED OUT
