Durham Cricket can announce that Marcus North will leave the Club having been appointed England Men’s National Selector.
North will depart Durham Cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board having held his position at Durham Cricket since 2018 where he has served as Director of Cricket.
Since taking charge seven years ago, North has overseen significant progress both on and off the field and has earned widespread respect across the domestic game.
He played a key role in Durham Men’s promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2023 along with being influential in Durham’s successful Tier 1 bid to gain a professional women’s team in 2024.
North leaves the club having built and established our women’s team and with the men’s team currently top of Division Two.
He has also successfully overseen changes to our men’s and women’s academy, both of which continue to thrive, ensuring local talent has a pathway to professional cricket in the region.
In his new role at the ECB, he will contribute to the selection of all England Men’s squads, from the senior sides through to the Lions and Young Lions programmes.
On his appointment, North said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed England Men’s National Selector and can’t wait to get started with this exciting new opportunity.
“It has truly been an honour and a privilege to be Director of Cricket at Durham, and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved as a collective over the past seven years.
“I will always treasure the moments and memories created here; Durham is a club which is very close to my heart from my playing days and in my current role and I leave knowing the club is in a solid place.
“Winning Division Two and establishing a squad which has seen players transition into England teams is credit to the playing group we have created with strong foundations now being set for the squad moving forward.
“To play a key part in Durham being awarded a professional women’s Tier 1 team is something which will go down in Durham’s history and to now set the building blocks for Women’s and Girls’ Cricket in Durham is very exciting for the Club.
“Being Director of Cricket is nothing without a group of talented players and staff who are willing to work hard day in day out, the playing group and Durham Cricket staff have been a pleasure to work with, and I thank them hugely for their support during my time in Chester le Street.
“I’d like to express my gratitude to Tim Bostock and the rest of the board for all their backing and support during my time as they continue to build this amazing county cricket club.
“I wish Ryan, Dani and both squads the best of luck for the rest of the season and wish everyone involved at the Club continued success for the future.”
Tim Bostock, Chief Executive said: “Marcus’ leadership and expertise since joining the Club as Director of Cricket has been second to none, he has been central to all the club has achieved since he joined in 2018.
“The opportunity to join England as Men’s National Selector is credit to the work he has put in with Durham Cricket over the last seven years and the environment he has created with us.
“Marcus has a huge understanding of the international game and what is required to succeed at the highest level – his experience from working at Durham Cricket will stand him in good stead in his next chapter with the ECB.
“He leaves behind an extremely successful high-performance environment which keeps us in a good place for our next chapter at Durham Cricket.
“We thank Marcus for his commitment and dedication and wish him every success as he takes on this new challenge with the ECB.”
“Marcus will continue to work with Durham over the coming weeks as a transition plan is put in place. Further announcements will be made in due course.”