Gooch goes full-time

Former Test opener Graham Gooch has been appointed England batting coach on a full-time basis.

Boost for England ahead of busy summer

Former Test opener Graham Gooch has been appointed England batting coach on a full-time basis. Gooch has been working as a consultant batting coach with England since November 2009 but will now take on the role full-time beginning on March 5, as England begin preparations for the Test series against Sri Lanka. Gooch, who played 118 Tests for his country, will work closely with all centrally contracted players year round as well as other players selected for England squads. Graham Thorpe will continue in his role as ECB Lead Batting Coach which involves working with batsmen on the England Performance Programme and those selected for England Lions. Thorpe and Gooch will work closely to ensure a smooth transition for batsmen between the England Performance Programme and the senior England side. Gooch said: "I am delighted to be taking on the role of England batting coach on a full-time basis. I will now have the opportunity to spend a lot more time with the players and other coaches both in the build up to series and during the series themselves. "I firmly believe that with the talent we have at the moment within the batting unit and those pressing for places we can continue to develop and improve as a side which is a very exciting prospect." England Team Director Andy Flower said: "Graham has an excellent relationship with our batsman and is already an important part of our management team so I am very pleased that he will be joining us on a full-time basis. "We have a challenging period of cricket ahead of us and I am very much looking forward to continuing to work closely with Graham as we look to improve across all formats of the game." Hugh Morris, Managing Director England Cricket, added: "Graham is an outstanding coach and is held in the highest regard by all those who work alongside him and we are delighted that he will become a full-time member of the England management team. "His record as a player and a coach is formidable and he has shown over the past couple of years that he has a huge amount to offer."