Ian Bell Wants ECB To Bring Back Chairman Of Selectors After Ashes Defeat Against Australia

Former England batter Ian Bell has demanded the reinstatement of the selection panel in England national cricket in the wake of their humiliating 3-0 defeat to Australia in the ongoing Ashes 2021-22.

Earlier this year the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) ended the national selection panel in order to restructure the board.

Ed Smith was removed from the national selector’s role and the responsibility of selecting the team was added on men’s head coach Chris Silverwood’s shoulders.

ECB dropping chairman of selectors was the hardest thing: Ian Bell

Bell voiced his desire to bring back the selection panel to make smooth functioning between players and the coach.

“One of the hardest things, and I was very shocked if I’m honest with you, was when we went away from the chairman of selectors thing,” Bell told ‘Sportsday’.

“Even looking at it from a player’s point of view…, you’re not stupid enough to think (Chris Silverwood) is not part of the selection, but since he is head selector, how would you have the honest conversations with the head coach and say, ‘I might be struggling a little bit here’, because he is the man who’s making all the decisions,” he added.

The current selections has been internal: Ian Bell

England have been under the hammer for their selection policy right from the first Ashes Test match in Brisbane where they dropped their experienced bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

When the duo came back in the second match in Adelaide in place of Mark Wood and Jack Leach. Many experts like former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting felt that Wood should have played in Adelaide. Jonny Bairstow was unleashed in the MCG Test where almost everything was done and dusted as Australia retained the urn.

Bell believes that having the chairman of selectors in the position will give an external point of view regarding players selection.

“I think you need a chairman of selectors who sits outside of the dressing room sometimes, who’s not attached to all the players emotionally or what’s going on a daily basis and can actually see things from a different set of eyes, which I think is really important,” Bell said.

“When you look at it now, you look at some of the selections we’ve had and decisions we’ve made at the toss, it’s been very internal, there’s not been a lot of advice from those outside, who aren’t in those day-to-day training sessions and in the bubble and it all becomes a bit emotional. They need another set of eyes helping them to make these decisions,” he added.

Australia never let England settle right from the start of the first Test in Brisbane where they won by nine wickets inside four days.

They followed their success with a 275-run victory in Adelaide despite some dogged resistance by Jos Buttler to delay the result.

Australia thumped England on the third day of the Boxing Day Test match as they sealed the win by an innings and 14 runs to win the Ashes with after leading 3-0.

Also Read: Ashes 2021-22: Don’t Think I’ve Seen A Worse-Performing Team In Australia: Ricky Ponting Slams England