The former England seamer Darren Gough has revealed that he was told that Marcus North was a “safer option” after being overlooked for the role of men’s selector.
North was appointed by Rob Key, managing director of men’s cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having beaten out candidates including Gough and Steven Finn as the replacement for Luke Wright.
The ex-Australia batter had been director of cricket at Durham having represented six counties during his playing career, and provided input on the first Test squad of the summer before it was named last week.
Confirming, though, that he had been in the running for the role, Gough admitted to his confusion over the explanation given by Key after he was informed that he would not be appointed.
The 55-year-old made more than 200 international appearances for England across formats and has since coached at Yorkshire and in franchise competitions around the world, and believes his qualities may have been overlooked.
“I was a bit disappointed when Rob Key called me,” Gough said to the Stick to Cricket podcast. “And I told him, nicely, not like I would have 20 years ago.
“He just said, 'Look, with where English cricket is at the minute, we went for a safer option.' I asked him, 'What do you mean safer? He's Australian. That's not a safer option, is it?'
“He also said he didn't think I'd enjoy the role, which I didn't agree with, because I wouldn't have gone for that role if I didn't think I would. No matter what anybody says about me, I love the sport. I'm a lot more into data and writing than people give me credit for.”
Gough also revealed that part of the recruitment process included picking his team for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, and a squad for the preceding England Lions games at Arundel and Beckenham.
“My [Test] team was Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell at three, Joe Root at four, Harry Brook at five, Jamie Smith at six, and Ben Stokes at seven. Will Jacks at eight if it's Lord's, because over 80% of wickets there fall to seamers. If they think it might spin, I had Rehan Ahmed. Then Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer. My twelfth [man] was Ollie Robinson.
“There was a lot of debate on Ollie Robinson with the panel, but I stuck to my guns. That's what a Chairman of Selectors is supposed to do. Skill-wise, he's right up there with the best bowlers I've seen in the country.”
