Buchanan axed from selection panel

Australian coach John Buchanan has lost his job as a selector for the forthcoming Ashes tour of England, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Thursday.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed said the board had taken the decision to avoid any possible conflict of interest with his coaching duties.

"What the selectors are keen to promote is they want John to be quite independent of the selection process," Speed said.

Australian captain Steve Waugh publicly criticised Buchanan after he told reporters during the recent tour of India that Shane Warne's place in the Test team was in doubt.

But Waugh, who is also a selector, said on Thursday that he was disappointed by the board's decision to sack Buchanan as a selector.

"I respect the decision that everyone has made but from a personal point of view, I would have liked to have seen him stay," Waugh told reporters.

Mail Cricket Editor