Smith’s England selector role abolished

Ed Smith’s role as England national selector has been abolished.

In a restructuring of the way the England men’s teams are selected, responsibility will now fall to head coach Chris Silverwood.

“The restructure is in the best interests of helping England men’s teams be successful,” said England managing director Ashley Giles.

The former England batsman, 43, will leave the England and Wales Cricket Board at the end of the month.

Smith had held the role of national selector since 2018.

Giles, who devised the new structure, added: “The current process of selecting England teams has been in place for over 120 years.

“The new structure also makes lines of accountability much clearer, with Chris Silverwood, as head coach, taking ultimate responsibility for picking England senior men’s squads.”

Silverwood will continue to take input from Test captain Joe Root and limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan, along with performance director Mo Bobat and James Taylor, who takes on a new role of ‘head scout’.

The ECB says the system will be supported be a “resource that will provide intelligence from performance analysis, talent ID, scouting, medical and sports science”.

“It has been a huge privilege to work with great people trying to help England cricket and I am excited about watching England’s continued development,” said Smith.

“I wish Ashley Giles, the coaches and all support staff good fortune over the coming months. I know how hard Ashley and his team work for England cricket.

“In particular, I’d like to wish Chris Silverwood good luck and every success going forward.”

Source: BBC Sports