England are reportedly set to name former Australia all-rounder Marcus North as their new national selector.
North has seemingly risen above the likes of former England Test bowlers Steven Finn and Darren Gough to take pole position in the job hunt, according to a report in The Telegraph. The role as national selector became available when Luke Wright stepped down as England selector earlier this year, although North’s role will be more expansive than Wright’s was. England’s last national selector was Ed Smith, who was given the job after England’s 2017/18 Ashes mauling, and was made redundant in 2021.
North represented Australia 24 times during his playing career, including in the 2009 and the 2010/11 Ashes series. His appointment would be the first time England have named a non-English national selector.
While England have traditionally plumped for those who were raised in the county system as their national selectors, it’s not hard to see why North would be an attractive candidate. Starting with a spell at Durham in 2004, North had county stints at Lancashire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Glamorgan as a player, ending his county career at Derbyshire in 2014. After his retirement from playing, he transitioned into administration and has been director of cricket at Durham since 2018. As part of that role, he oversaw the club’s successful bid for a women’s professional team, as well as the men’s promotion to Division One in 2023.
He has also worked closely with Ben Stokes at Durham, as well as at Northern Superchargers, a team he also oversees as director of cricket. At Superchargers, he brought in Andrew Flintoff as head coach, who he played against during his Test career and who is now England Lions coach. Equally, Durham have produced a string of international players during North’s tenure, including Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts, while Emilio Gay, Ben McKinney and James Minto have all been touted as future England players.
North’s background in administration made him a stronger candidate for the job than Steven Finn, who transitioned into punditry after the end of his playing career. While Gough also has experience of administration in county cricket, having been Yorkshire’s director of cricket from 2021-2024, his post-playing experience lies more in coaching.
After the disintegration of England’s relationship with the counties over the last couple of years, North’s appointment would mark a significant step in repairing that bond. As someone with deep knowledge of the county game, experience scouting, selecting and honing players, as well as a track record of success, North would be the ideal candidate to bridge that gap. His relationships with key figures in the existing England set-up place him ideally with one foot in both camps.
Equally, North’s former life as an Australia Test player means he could be incisive in planning for the next Ashes tour in 2029/30. While a long way down the line, a key factor in last winter’s Ashes disaster was identified as a lack of effective planning. Having played in Ashes series both in England and Australia, and having experience of both domestic systems, North would be a key part of the preparation during the next Ashes cycle.
When his appointment is confirmed, North will sit as part of a panel responsible for England selection. Also on that panel will be Rob Key, Ben Stokes for Test cricket and Harry Brook for ODIs and T20Is, as well as ECB performance director Ed Barney and head of talent identification David Court. Andrew Flintoff will also be involved in selection for the Lions. Another important factor for the national selector England appoint is getting eyes on players. Brendon McCullum has spent most of the early Championship season in New Zealand, while North is based in the North-East and has had significant time during his tenure at Durham to watch up-and-coming county players.
The first England squad North would likely be involved in selecting will be their first Test squad of the summer to face New Zealand. The squad is due to be announced in the week beginning May 18.
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