England have appointed Geoff Miller to the newly-created post of national selector and sidelined the former chairman of selectors David Graveney.
Miller will head up a four-man selection panel which will include head coach Peter Moores but be without Graveney, the chairman of selectors since 1997.
Graveney has been moved into a performance director role in which he will be charged with overseeing the development of youngsters at the 18 academies set up by English counties.
Moores and Miller will be joined on the panel by two part-time selectors, former Test players Ashley Giles and James Whitaker.
Miller was part of the previous three-man selection team, alongside Moores and Graveney, and is appointed to a new role created as a result of a review ordered in the wake of England's poor performances in Australia in 2006-2007 and in last year's World Cup.
Miller, who played 34 Tests for England between 1976 and 1984, said: "This is a new post and I will approach it in my own way but I have learned a great deal from working with David Graveney on the selection panel since 2000 and wish him every success in his new role."
The new national selector does not intend giving up his sideline as an after dinner speaker specializing in anecdotes from his playing days.
"I won't give it up because it is part of me," he said. "I am in the entertainment business and I enjoy it."
"The actual job is the priority to me now but there are certain after dinner jobs I have to fulfil. If I have to cancel one or two then so be it but as it stands I can promote the game as well as speak," he said.
Graveney, meanwhile, has been left to reflect on the end of his involvement with England's elite players.
He said: "While I am naturally disappointed to be no longer directly involved with the England team, I am looking forward to taking up my new role and feel that I can play an important part in ensuring that we maintain a consistent flow of world class talent from the county academies into our international teams at all levels."
Miller added: "Yes, he was disappointed, there are no two ways about that, but he understands the situation and the friendship between David Graveney and Geoff Miller will not alter one iota."
Giles, part of England's 2005 Ashes-winning team, will combine his selector's role with that of director of cricket at Warwickshire.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
RSS