Gooch is England's all-time leading Test match run scorer

Former England captain Graham Gooch has decided not to apply for the position of English cricket's national selector.

David Graveney, the current chairman of selectors, and Sussex skipper Chris Adams have said they would apply for the rebranded and now full-time post.

Gooch, who is Essex's batting coach and also works in the media, had expressed an interest but told BBC Sport that he had pulled out of the running.

The deadline for applications is Monday and interviews start on 7 January.

Gooch had a prestigious playing career with Essex and England and became Essex coach in 2001 before stepping down in 2005.

The 54-year-old told the Mail on Sunday: "Initially I was interested but, after weighing up all the options, I feel that whoever does the job will have to devote themselves fully to it, to the exclusion of other interests.

"Mainly on that basis I'm ruling myself out. If I were to be appointed there is no way I could carry continue with the coaching work I do at Essex."

However, Gooch added that other reasons had also influenced his decision when he spoke to BBC Sport.

606: DEBATE Who should be England's national selector?

The national selector position was created on the advice of the Schofield report, which looked into the state of English cricket following last year's Ashes whitewash and the subsequent failure in the World Cup.

It is proposed the national selector would travel with the England team, therefore ending the policy of captain and coach selecting the final XI on tour.

England team managing director Hugh Morris has said candidates must have played first-class cricket but that Test match experience was "desirable rather than essential".

The national selector would not be expected to travel with the England team for an entire tour, but should be with the team during warm-up matches and for the first Test.

Asked why Graveney had not been given the job, Morris, the former Glamorgan batsman, said: "The rationale for that is that the role is slightly different.

"It has gone from part-time to full-time and there are some additional responsibilities and, as happens a lot in business, when a role does change it is open to recruitment."