Daily Times

LONDON: Luke Wright has retired from professional cricket to become the new selector for the England men’s team, it was announced Tuesday. The 37-year-old batsman made 101 white-ball international appearances and was a member of the England squad that won the 2010 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Wright was playing for south coast club Sussex, for whom he made over 400 appearances in all formats, scoring over 16,000 runs, including 30 centuries, until the end of this year’s county season. He has also featured in overseas T20 leagues including Australia’s Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League. The post of national selector was abolished by former director of cricket Ashley Giles, who sacked Ed Smith in 2021 and concentrated his power into the hands of then England head coach Chris Silverwood. Giles’ replacement Rob Key, however, has repeatedly stated he wanted to reintroduce the position, even though he enjoyed a successful spell while temporarily in charge. Wright, who recently had a brief spell working as a coach with New Zealand, won’t have Smith’s title of ‘national selector’ but will be involved in decisions concerning squad composition and central contracts.