Bruce French retires as England wicketkeeping coach

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday announced that Bruce French has retired from his role as the national lead wicketkeeping coach.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday announced that Bruce French has retired from his role as the national lead wicketkeeping coach. "After 11 years as National Lead Wicketkeeping Coach, Bruce French has retired from his role to spend more time with family," ECB said in a statement.

The former Nottinghamshire stalwart joined the ECB coaching team at the National Cricket Performance Centre in 2009. French, who played 16 Tests and 13 ODIs for his country, has been pivotal in the development of England's wicketkeepers over the past decade. ECB said he has done an "outstanding job" in the career development of Matt Prior, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Ben Foakes and Sarah Taylor.

"French, 61, is to continue providing coaching needs across the game as a part-time consultant," the statement read. Mo Bobat, Performance Director, England Men's Cricket, said the English cricket "owes a huge debt of gratitude" to French for his work.

"English cricket owes a huge debt of gratitude to Bruce for the fine work that he has done over a number of years. For some time, we have been able to select from an oversupply of excellent wicketkeepers and Bruce has played a significant role in developing those players," Bobat said in a statement. "There is much that Bruce should be proud of and this includes numerous memorable victories in both home and away series for England and of course, our historic World Cup win in 2019. Bruce has also ensured that his coaching insight has been effectively shared across the game through our Coach Development programmes. I wish Bruce every success in his future endeavours and have no doubt that he still has much to offer as a coach in the game," he added.

Ashley Giles, Managing Director, England Men's Cricket, also thanked French for his services. "I would like to thank Bruce and those that are leaving the performance department for their contribution to the elite set-up over the past few years. It has been a challenging time for all, but I am very proud of the efforts of every individual and the loyalty they have shown in maintaining England cricket at the forefront of international sport and competition," Giles said.

"I have worked alongside some talented people and the dedication and professionalism shown is renowned across the sport. Those that are leaving the ECB can look back on having made a significant positive impact that will be remembered for a long time. I wish everyone all the success in the next chapter of their personal lives and careers," he added. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)