Marsh And Bichel Added To Australian Selection Panel

Marsh And Bichel Added To Australian Selection Panel

Rod Marsh has been added to Australia's National Selection Panel

©REUTERS / Action Images

Cricket Australia (CA) have added former internationals Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel to their National Selection Panel (NSP) as they continue to make sweeping changes to their backroom staff.

Marsh and Bichel join new national selector John Inverarity on the NSP and they'll be joined by captains Michael Clarke (Test and ODI) and Cameron White (T20I) and the new head coach, who is yet to be appointed.

"We talk about the importance of team fit in sport – that is what we have tried to achieve in the new selection panel,” General Manager - Team Performance, Pat Howard 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."

The appointments follow the recommendations made by the Australian Team Performance Review.

Inverarity is to start his full-time role on 14th November when he wil leave for South Africa to join up with the Australian team.

Marsh, who played 96 Tests and 92 ODIs for Australia, 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."

Bichel, a veteran of 19 Tests and 67 ODIs and a World Cup winner in 2003, added: "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."

© Cricket World 2011