Luke Wright appointed England men's selector: Details here
Former England all-rounder Luke Wright has been named the selector of England's Men's team. He is set to assume the position in March after completing a coaching assignment with Auckland. Wright, 37, has also decided to retire from professional cricket to focus on his new job. With several important events in the pipeline, Wright will have a job in hand. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
The position of selector has been reintroduced by England men's Managing Director Rob Key. Key's predecessor Ashley Giles had scrapped the selection panel, handing the job to then-head coach Chris Silverwood. Wright will work alongside Key, performance director Mo Bobat, and player ID lead David Court to select squads. Captains and coaches of the red and white-ball teams will also share their insights.
What did Luke Wright say?
2023 would see England featuring in the home Ashes and the ICC ODI World Cup in India. Wright is keen to contribute highly to these events. "With the Ashes and ICC Men's 50-over World Cup next year, I can't wait to get started and try to contribute after what has been a fantastic year for England men's cricket," Wright stated in an official statement.
Challenges lying ahead of Wright
England clinched the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 title earlier this month but suffered a 0-3 whitewash in the subsequent ODI series against Australia. With the international schedule being jam-packed lately, England skipper Jos Buttler described the series as an example of bilateral international cricket losing its relevance. Hence, it would be interesting to see how Wright approaches the upcoming events.
A look at Wright's professional career
Wright represented Sussex in more than 400 games. While he slammed 8,526 runs and took 79 wickets in T20s, Wright scored over 5000 runs and picked up 111 wickets in List A cricket. In First-Class cricket, he scored 7,622 runs and picked 120 wickets. He represented England in 101 games across the two white-ball formats, scoring over 1,400 runs and scalping 33 wickets.
Part of England's 2010 T20 World Cup-winning squad
Notably, Wright, who made his international debut in 2007, was a part of the England squad that lifted the 2010 T20 World Cup in West Indies. He last played for the Brits in a T20I match in March 2014.
