Matt Walker has backed former team-mate Ed Smith in his new role as national selector for England.

The pair played for Kent together for nine seasons between 1996 and 2004 before Smith moved to Middlesex.

The ECB announced on Friday that the 40-year-old would be taking on the role after James Whitaker stepped down in March.

Kent head coach Walker said: “I’m really pleased for Ed. It’s exciting times for him and he will be brilliant. You will not meet a smarter bloke.

“He speaks very well on cricket and has great ideas around cricket. You want intelligent and smart people who have played the game. He’s a very experienced county cricketer who has also played for England.

“It’s a great appointment and he will do a brilliant job. He will look at things differently.

“Having spent time with Ed in the dressing room and after reading a lot of stuff he has written you can see he has a great mind for the game.

“You want good people who care about cricket and know about cricket and will think about it slightly differently.”

Smith played three Test matches for England and made 350 appearances in county cricket for both Kent and Middlesex.

He was at Kent from 1996 to 2004 when he joined Middlesex until he retired in 2008.

Smith said: "I’m delighted to take on the role of National Selector. I was very happy with what I was doing previously but the chance to be at the forefront of this development in English cricket was too good an opportunity to turn down.

"Selection and Talent ID have always fascinated me and I've explored extensively how they are evolving.

"It is an exciting time for England cricket. I'm very much looking forward to working with Trevor, Joe and Eoin, as we work towards ensuring that the talent in English cricket feeds into consistent performances in all formats of the game."

Smith has been a regular commentator on BBC's Test Match Special since 2012 and also writes a column in the New Statesman.