Former England and Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright has been named England men’s coach.
Wright, 37, will take over in March after completing a coaching job at Auckland, and will be responsible for team and squad selection for the Senior, Lions and Young Lions teams.
The role was reintroduced by England men’s cricket general manager Rob Key after it was abolished by his predecessor Ashley Giles.
“It’s a huge honor,” Wright said.
The right-hander, who played 101 times for England between 2007 and 2014, added: “I’m incredibly excited. what a fantastic year it has been for men’s cricket in England.”
Giles got rid of the previous selection panel, giving then-head coach Chris Silverwood full control, but Key, who was appointed in April and led a selection panel in the meantime, declared his intention to reprise the role.
Wright will work alongside Key, performance director Mo Bobat, player identification manager David Court and the red and white ball coaches and captains to select teams and squads.
Key said: “I am delighted to have Luke join the team as manager.
“With his significant experience of playing in England and abroad as well as his extensive knowledge of county cricket, he will be an important voice in team selection while helping to identify the next generation of England stars.
“It’s an exciting time for men’s cricket in England but there is a lot of work to do if we are to build on what has been an exciting year.”
Wright will be tasked with being present on all domestic cricket this summer and will be involved in decisions regarding central contracts.
He will work closely with Bobat, Court and the scouting network on talent identification, as well as with the scientific and medical team on player availability and scheduling.
The move means Wright has also retired from professional cricket after a 20-year career, having started at Leicestershire before joining Sussex in 2004.
He retired from red-ball cricket in 2019 after scoring 7,622 runs in 144 first-class games, including 17 centuries.
Wright continued to play white-ball cricket and was part of Sussex’s T20 Blast team that year.
He finished with a fine T20 record of 8,526 runs in 344 matches, with seven centuries, while he also took 79 wickets at an average of 32.44.
