Whitaker out in shake-up
ANDREW STRAUSS has reacted to England’s Ashes flop with a shake-up in the way the selection process operates ahead of the summer’s Tests series.
Head national selector James Whitaker has paid with his job for the defeat in Australia that followed the drubbing in India the previous winter.
The other two members of the selection panel, Angus Fraser and Mick Newell, will have to reapply for selectors’ roles in a rejigged format.
Strauss, England’s Director of Cricket, yesterday announced the change from the current four-man system to a threeperson panel of new national selector, a full-time independent selector and head coach Trevor Bayliss.
The first two roles are set to be advertised next week with a view to having new men in place in time for the squad selections in mid-May for the two-Test series against Pakistan.
The shake-up will introduce a new scouting system with designated discipline-specific scouts, including current ECB national lead coaches, providing information upwards.
A system in which all county coaches are encouraged to send observations into an ECB central information hub will be expanded more formally.
“The new approach will allow us to see more players throughout the county game, more often, and simplify the selection process,” said Strauss. “We will have a greater body of information, deeper insight into the talent we can pick and a better understanding of who to help develop across the red-ball and white-ball games.”
Strauss’s shake-up comes after England’s Test fortunes have slumped badly overseas with the 4-0 losses to India and Australia.
However, it is hoped that the new system leads to greater creativity and flexibility in selection in the future, with more players likely to get a call-up depending on conditions and format. “The game now requires our teams to play more often, at a higher intensity, in a range of conditions and across different formats,” said Strauss. “A formalised scouting network will help us to be more aware of players’ strengths and, as they will be seen more often by more people, they will have a greater opportunity to impress.”
Mark Stoneman is one such player with work still to do to nail down his place following a mixed Ashes experience.
But the Surrey opener hopes to hit form in the two warm-up games in Hamilton ahead of the first Test against New Zealand, a day-nighter, in Auckland, starting next Thursday.
“The Ashes was obviously disappointing,” he said. “Nobody wants to be part of a losing Ashes series and on a personal note there was good stuff in there but I left myself a bit short at times as well. I’m hungry for runs at this level and I feel as though I’ve got it in myself to really perform. Hopefully I can go on to have a successful international career.”
Stoneman and England No 3 James Vince were picked for this tour despite unconvincing Ashes series. The pair will get their first run-out since Australia tomorrow when England take on a strong New Zealand XI that could contain up to seven of the Test team in the first two-day pink-ball warm-up match.
“It’s nice to have that bit of faith in you,” said Stoneman. “They’ve seen something in what I’ve done so far to hopefully show there’s a good international career to be unlocked.”
Ben Stokes will miss the second Test against India at Lord’s after a date for his trial on a charge of affray, following an incident outside a nightclub in September, was set for August 6.
The England all-rounder appeared by video link at Bristol Crown Court from New Zealand and pleaded not guilty.
We’ll see more players, more often