Batty becomes permanent head coach at Surrey

Gareth Batty has been named as Surrey’s new head coach after leading them to the County Championship title while doing the job on an interim basis.

Under his stewardship, Surrey won the title this summer by 25 points.

“Gareth did an outstanding job last season, handling all the challenges that were thrown his way,” director of cricket Alec Stewart said.

“Batts is one of the most hard-working and forward thinking people in the game and his deep knowledge, commitment and dedication to the job that he brings every single day is a massive positive,” Stewart told the Surrey website.

Batty captained Surrey after playing for Yorkshire and Worcestershire and also featured for England in nine Tests and 10 one-day internationals.

He retired from playing at the end of the 2021 season to work as an assistant coach under Solanki.

He then stepped up following Solanki’s departure and led Surrey to their 21st County Championship with one match to spare.

“I’m honoured to have been given the opportunity to be head coach at this great club on a permanent basis,” he said.

“There’s a huge amount of potential in this group of players and I’m excited to get going again with our eyes firmly set on more success in 2023.”