Marcus North, the former Australia batter, is set to become England's new men's selector, with an announcement expected soon. The 46-year-old, who has been Durham's director of cricket since 2018, beat Steven Finn and Darren Gough after interviews this week.
North would replace Luke Wright, who stepped down after the Ashes defeat. Unlike Wright, North is expected to have the final say on squads, similar to Ed Smith's role from 2018 to 2021. He will head a selection panel including Rob Key, head coach Brendon McCullum, and the relevant captain.
North played 21 Tests for Australia but has long been embedded in English cricket, having played for six counties and lived in the north-east since the early 2000s. He previously interviewed for the ECB director of cricket role but lost to Key.
If appointed, North's first task will be selecting a squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand starting 4 June. Key priorities include finding a new opener to replace Zak Crawley and addressing spin bowling issues.
