Marcus North: Australian set to be named England selector

North will join head coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and Test and limited-overs captains Stokes and Harry Brook in selecting the England squads and will make some input on the final XI for the matches. Director of performance Ed Barney and head of casting David Court are also involved in the selection process.

North’s brief will include participating in England Lions selection, liaising with counties and leading a team of scouts.

Under McCullum, England often ignored proven performers in county cricket in favor of players they believed had international cricket qualifications. Perhaps it will be the North’s role to provide a balance to Britain’s methods.

He may have only limited involvement in the squad selection process for the first Test against New Zealand, which starts at Lord’s on June 4.

It was learned that the squad will be determined on May 18 and England’s training camp in Loughborough will start on May 25.

Following the heavy defeat in Australia, Stokes’ team will likely be looking for a new opener to replace Zak Crawley.

Durham’s Emilio Gay and Somerset’s James Rew will be the leading contenders and both could be selected in the squad for the first Test.

The identity of the front-line spinners and seamers who will join England’s fast bowling division will also be up for debate.

About 80 candidates applied for the selection role in April. These were then condensed into initial talks and led to final talks.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it was looking for “significant professional experience and comprehensive knowledge of international and first-class cricket, including emerging players and the county network” in invited applications.

The ECB added that applicants must have “demonstrable experience in talent identification”, a “strong understanding of data and analytics in cricket” and “the ability to manage relationships with cricketers at international and regional level”.