Vettori, Moles appointed New Zealand selectors

New Delhi:

Taking a pathbreaking step, the New Zealand Cricket appointed captain Daniel Vettori and coach Andy Moles to the national selection panel.

They join Glenn Turner and Mark Greatbatch as national selectors, while John Wright will act as an adviser to the panel. Former selector Dion Nash has stepped down to focus on business and family commitments.

Your Say: Should captain, coach have bigger say in team selection?

The new selection panel was announced on Sunday after a review of selection processes and composition of the panel.

NZC Chief Executive Justin Vaughan said the structure reflected the need for an integrated approach to selection.

"The make-up of this selection panel - with the inclusion of both the coach and captain - is innovative but consistent with the way we have been operating," said Vaughan.

"Both captain and coach currently form our 'on-tour' selection panel, who select teams when they are playing.

"Andy and Dan see and work with our leading players constantly, and are directly accountable for team performance. Therefore we believe it is important they have a formal input into the selection process.

Vaughan said the inclusion of the captain on the selection panel was believed to be unique in world cricket currently, and reflected the vital role played by Vettori.

"Daniel is a strong and very able leader. He has vast international experience, and is absolutely committed to driving the Kiwi team to improved performance."

"In many other countries the captain has a large say in team selection decisions, but we are willing to go the extra step and formally include Daniel on the panel. New Zealand Cricket has complete trust and confidence in Vettori being up to the task and we are convinced the New Zealand team will benefit as a consequence," he said.

Vettori's role as a national selector is dependent on him maintaining his position as team captain.

Vaughan said the inclusion of Andy Moles was also very positive, "As coach, Andy needs to have a say in team selection. He will also have a role in liaising with our first-class coaches and assessing their views on the leading players in our domestic competitions."