Cricket Australia appoints Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel as new selectors
Cricket Australia has appointed Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel as selectors to join the new National Selection Panel comprising full-time national selector John Inverarity, the new Head Coach when appointed, and Australian Test and ODI captain Michael Clarke and T20 captain Cameron White for their respective formats.
Announcing the appointments, CA General Manager Team Performance Pat Howard said the selection panel had a range of complementary skills and had selectors based in a range of cities.
"We talk about the importance of team fit in sport - that is what we have tried to achieve in the new selection panel," he said.
"Adelaide-based Rod Marsh is quite simply a legend of the game with successful high performance coaching experience in Australia, England and Dubai since he retired as, at that time, Australia's most successful wicketkeeper-batsman.
"Brisbane-based Andy Bichel has had success in the shortest form of the game since his retirement as a Test new ball bowler and he and Rod bring complementary skills to the selection table to those of John Inverarity," he said.
Pat Howard, who started his new CA role full-time this week, said John Inverarity is due to start his new role as national selector on 14 November and will depart for South Africa on the same day.
The CA appointments of Howard, Inverarity, Marsh and Bichel follow CA Board approval of recommendations of the recent Australian Team Performance Review.
Key ATPR recommendations included appointment of a senior manager with singular accountability for performance of the Australian cricket team - a new role now filled by Pat Howard - and restructure of the National Selection Panel to include a full-time national selector and to also include the captain and head coach, as well as two part-time selectors.
Rod Marsh said: "I'm excited to be back working for Cricket Australia. It's been a decade since I last worked for CA. Certainly, the most rewarding time I ever had was working with CA at the Academy in Adelaide. This is an important role and I'm looking forward to watching young Australian cricketers develop and to our established cricketers continuing to improve."
Andy Bichel said: "I'm looking forward to making a real contribution to game I love. Over the last 20 years of international, state and county cricket, I've developed knowledge of the game that will assist me in this role. I've stayed close to the game and have been bowling coach to the Chennai Super Kings recently and have seen a lot of developing Australian talent perform in that competition. I'm really looking forward to working with John, Rod, Michael, Cameron and the incoming head coach as we continue to take Australian cricket in the right direction. I think over the last little period we've been on the right pathway and we'll be looking to identify the talent that will allow Australia to rise back up the rankings."
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Rod Marsh played 96 Tests and 92 ODIs for Australia between 1970-71 and 1983-84, making 355 Test dismissals, many of them from the bowling of Dennis Lillee, and becoming the first Australian wicket keeper to score a century. He was Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1982 and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2005. He was with the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide, 1990-2001, was ECB National Academy Coach 2002-05 and was an England selector 2003-05.
Andy Bichel represented Australia between 1997 and 2004, playing in 19 Tests and acting as 12th man in a further 19 Tests, as well as playing in 67 ODIs, including as part of Australia's successful 2003 ICC World Cup campaign. He took 58 Test wickets with a best bowling performance of 5/60 and took 78 ODI wickets, with 7/20 his best return. He was named State Player of the Year at the 2005 Allan Border Medal Awards night. Bichel also played County Cricket in England and has been an IPL coach.