Summary of this article
ECB will interview shortlisted candidates this week for the post of national selector
Former national selector Luke Wright step away from the role citing personal reasons
Steven Finn and Darren Gough are reported as prime candidates for the role
England have shortlisted their final list of candidates for the post of national selector, who will be going through a process of interview this week. The hunt for the new national selector began in the month of April when the ECB invited applications for the post, receiving around 80 submissions.
The opening was created after the departure of Luke Wright, who chose to step away, citing personal reasons, following England's dismal 4-1 loss in the Ashes.
The national selector will be at the core of the player identification process in the England cricket setup. Apart from that his key responsibility areas will be recommending names for the national squad and Three Lions, taking part in selecting final playing XIs across Test and white-ball cricket, maintaining county relationships and directing a broader scouting network.
With a role that involves overlooks this many aspects of England cricket the ECB wants the candidate to have "demonstrable experience of informing talent identification", "a strong understanding of data and analytics within cricket" and "the ability to manage relationships with cricketers at international and county levels".
Darren Gough And Steven Fin Among Top Contenders
Currently, there have been names of some reputed former England cricketers doing the rounds, who are in contention to become the next English selector. Among them are Darren Gough and Steven Finn, and the two prime ones, while Alastair Cook has sidelined himself from the debate.
The new chief selector will have little to no bearing on the England squad for the first Test against New Zealand, slated to begin on June 4. The 15-member squad might be announced around May 18, with a training camp at Loughborough following a week later on May 25.
The current English management under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum favors players' strong mentality and game-changing abilities rather than mere county numbers.
Despite their positive mindset, England haven't had much success in any format in the recent past, which is why the organization feels that the new selector should be someone who could push back against the incumbent management, if the situation demands and not just agree to the management's choices just before the players fit into their philosophy.
