Chief selector Inverarity to have 'no say' in Oz Ashes selection process

Australian national selector John Inverarity will reportedly have no say in the Ashes selection process for the next two months, although he will be in England throughout the series involving the two major cricketing nations.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, touring selector Rod Marsh has been handed the duties for the Ashes, after the drama that hit Australian cricket this week.

However, the report added that Inverarity can be called for formal input in the choosing of teams if the two-man panel consisting of new head coach Darren Lehmann and Marsh are divided in their opinions about the inclusion or exclusion of a player and there is a casting vote required.

According to the report, Inverarity is a respectable figure in England and has been a voice during the ICC Champions Trophy, apart from coaching county teams Warwickshire and Kent during his career.

Inverarity, however, enjoys a close relationship with Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards, who remains a strong supporter of the former chief, the report said.

Meanwhile, captain Michael Clarke's refusal to act as a selector, after news of former coach Mickey Arthur's sacking, had left the Ashes selection panel in a tough situation two weeks before the first Test at Trent Bridge.

After the outset of Arthur and scrutiny over senior figures like Pat Howard, Sutherland and Inverarity, Marsh has been given the selection duties for the Ashes, which has raised many eyebrows, given it is the high point of the Test team's calendar and Inverarity is the full-time selection chief.