North appointed deputy vice-captain

Marcus North, the Western Australian batsman, has been rewarded for his consistent form by being appointed as deputy vice-captain. North, who will be entering his seventh season with the Warriors, will be the third member of the leadership group along with Justin Langer and Mike Hussey. With both Langer and Hussey expected to be involved in Australia's international assignments, North is likely to lead the side in a few games next season.

"It's a great honour to be given the responsibility of helping to lead your team-mates," North said. "We've built an exciting group of players and I'm looking forward to assisting Justin and Michael in taking them to a Pura Cup title."

North was one of the key members of the middle order last season and finished as the eighth-highest scorer in the Pura Cup and fourth highest in the ING Cup. "Marcus has been a critical member of our middle order for a number of seasons now and continues to show exceptional leadership qualities," Wayne Clark, the coach, said. "His innings in Hobart earlier this year when we chased down 396 in less than a day was a perfect example of not only his batting ability but also his leadership skills. With Langer and Hussey both expected to be involved in Australia's international schedule over the summer Marcus was the natural choice to be the next leadership option."

The WACA board also endorsed the other recommendations of the State Cricket Committee regarding the make up of the State Selection Panel. After three years as Chairman Wayne Hill, the former WA wicketkeeper, has stepped aside, handing the reigns to Tom Hogan, the former Test spinner. Joining Hogan, Hill and Peter Capes on the panel will be former Andrew Farmer, the Joondalup coach, who has replaced Lee Bott.

"With my other WACA board commitments I decided that it was best for me to hand the position of chairman to someone else," Hill said. "That said I'm looking forward to continuing my involvement with team selection simply as member of the selection panel."