'Got to be room to recharge' - Ed Smith

He also accepted the suggestion made by many that England's dramatic campaign during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 may have impacted their performances in the Ashes series which followed hot on the heels.

"You don't want to create excuses, but the investment in the players emotionally and physically was enormous," Smith told the Sunday Times. "We know from GPS data they ran further and faster in that World Cup by a significant margin than in normal ODIs. To peak again for the Ashes presented challenges. For Joe Root's team to have broken the line running at The Oval said a lot for their character and determination. Everybody involved would have loved to have won the Ashes, but the way they finished after a draining summer was testament to them."

There was some surprise at the omission of Jonny Bairstow from England's Test squad for their tour of New Zealand. But Smith is adamant that the door is far from shut on the white-ball opener's Test career, pointing to his superb performance at county level as proof of Bairstow's ability.

"I remember sitting with Jonny when he'd missed a game in Sri Lanka and I said, 'it won't be long, not because I'm predicting somebody will get dropped but because you're a very good player and very good players come back'. A week later he was raising his bat having scored a Test hundred. He's a key player who has played well in all formats. Jonny was selected in 2012 as an outstanding young batsman and since then his first-class average outside Tests is 57. That's how good he is and Jonny at his best would be a huge asset."

Bairstow was not the only big name missing from England's squads, as they take the chance to blood some young players. Smith spoke of how the process of resting players is changng, with the decision increasingly involving backroom staff.

“I work closely with people who are intimately involved with the pastoral care of the England team. They respect confidences, however there are times when people have said that this person might benefit from a break. Moving forward, rest and rotation will be a central part of good selection. Players must be well mentally and physically, and capable of performing at their best when we need them to.

“With the T20s in New Zealand, it wasn’t a case of, 'What do you think about resting?' It was, 'You’re rested.' It's crucial we attend to players' wellbeing. We're fortunate that Eoin Morgan, having won the World Cup, saw an opportunity to look at new challenges and that we have a lot of depth in white-ball cricket."

Smith also believes that, as selector, he has the ability to contribute to make a significant contribution to the team by careful management of players. He said: "That will be one way selectors can really contribute to successful teams – thinking about the person and having a strong sense of care, supporting them emotionally and psychologically, so if a crunch point is coming you manage it the best way."

He admitted that recent Test performances have been below par at times. But the former England batsman added that he is working closely with Test captain Joe Root and new head coach Chris Silverwood to build the team in the form they envision.

"Joe's team has had high moments but it's also had batting collapses and disappointments," Smith said. "He is an intelligent and thoughtful person who cares passionately about England cricket and this is an exciting moment for him, with a new coach and others such as Mo[een Ali] determined to drive things forward. He also knows there's a collective will to help the Test team. That's something that's been talked about at senior level. There's an opportunity to form the side around the way Joe and Chris want to approach Test cricket. We will support it through selection. You're always reviewing the best approach. It was never our view that we wanted to turn the Test team into the white-ball team."