Marcus North appointed as Durham's director of cricket

Former Australia batsman Marcus North has been appointed as the new director of cricket in Durham. 39-year old North will succeed Geoff Cook, who will step down at the end of the season as Durham look to restructure their administration. Marcus North represented Australia in 21 Tests. He also had several spells with English counties, Durham being one of them.

The left-hander has had stints with Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Lancashire in county cricket. He has also featured regularly on television as a cricket expert. North has been living in the North East for several years and has been director of South Northumberland Cricket Club since 2015.

“With the season concluding next week it is the perfect time to review current strategies,” North was quoted as saying to the Durham website. “International and first-class cricket have been a major part of my life and this role allows me to utilise my experience and skills in a different capacity.”

North an outstanding candidate

Durham chief executive Tim Bostock was all praises for Marcus North and backed the appointment. “I’ve known Marcus for a number of years and he was the outstanding candidate following our thorough recruitment process,” he said.

Durham have had a poor season in this year’s County Championship. They currently find themselves at the 8th position in the Division Two Table. This week they suffered a humiliating defeat against Leicestershire, who dismissed them for just 61 and 66 in both innings. The game was concluded in just two days. These were also Durham’s two lowest totals since becoming a first-class county in 1992.

Marcus North will begin his role as director of cricket at Durham on October 1. He is also expected to carry out a comprehensive review of the club, including the first team and the coaching staff, before reporting to the board.

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