England have advertised for a new men's national selector, as Richard Gould and Rob Key prepare to face the media for the first time since their 4-1 Ashes series defeat.
Luke Wright stepped down from his role as a selector after the Ashes, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, and left the ECB after the recent T20 World Cup. A successor is expected to be in place ahead of England's next assignment, a three-Test series at home to New Zealand in June, after the ECB advertised for the vacancy on Wednesday.
The job advert is for the position of 'England Men - National Selector', a minor change from Wright's role as 'England Men's Selector' which hints at additional responsibility and accountability. Applications will remain open until April 17.
The ECB said that the successful candidate "will be accountable for the selection of players" and will play a key role in ensuring quality communication between the England Cricket Team and First Class Counties".
Gareth Batty, Surrey's head coach, said this week that the path from county cricket to England selection had been "misted over" in recent years after a series of left-field selections, while his captain Rory Burns joked that "a couple of shots on Instagram" were sufficient for players to catch the attention of England's management.
The vacancy has been listed ahead of a scheduled media briefing by Gould and Key - the ECB's chief executive and managing director of men's cricket respectively - to "discuss the winter and look ahead".
Gould described England's performance in Australia as "deeply disappointing" in a written statement released shortly after the fifth Test in Sydney, and said that a "thorough review" into the tour had already started.
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England subsequently reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup but have been dogged by off-field controversy, including the revelation - shortly after Gould's initial statement - that Harry Brook was disciplined for a late-night incident with a nightclub bouncer the night before captaining a one-day international against New Zealand.
The professionalism of the England set-up was called further into question on Monday when Liam Livingstone gave an explosive interview to ESPNcricinfo, criticising the attitude of coaches within the team environment and accusing Key of a lack of respect in his communication last year.
Brendon McCullum, England's head coach across formats, has stated his intention to continue in his role repeatedly throughout the winter, and his lucrative contract runs until the end of next year.