Former batsman Ed Smith confirmed as England's new national selector

Smith, 40, featured in three tests for England and retired in 2008 having also played first-class cricket for Kent and Middlesex, where he was captain

Hardik Vyas
Friday 20 April 2018 10:05 EDT
Comments
Ed Smith will choose another independent selector to work alongside him in a three-man panel
Ed Smith will choose another independent selector to work alongside him in a three-man panel (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Former England batsman Ed Smith has been appointed as the team's new national selector, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Friday.

Smith, 40, featured in three tests for England and retired in 2008 having also played first-class cricket for Kent and Middlesex, where he was captain.

He replaces James Whitaker, who left the position as part of a revamp of the team selection process in March after five years in the role.

Smith will choose another independent selector to work alongside him in a three-man panel with England coach Trevor Bayliss.

"I was very happy with what I was doing previously but the chance to be at the forefront of this development in English cricket was too good an opportunity to turn down," Smith said in a statement.

"Selection and talent ID have always fascinated me and I've explored extensively how they are evolving.

"I'm very much looking forward to working with Trevor, Joe (Root) and Eoin (Morgan), as we work towards ensuring that the talent in English cricket feeds into consistent performances in all formats of the game."

The ECB also confirmed it will bring in a scouting system with "designated discipline-specific scouts" who will provide information to the selection panel.

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in