Thorpe to coach England batsmen

Former Test batsman Graham Thorpe has been appointed as the England and Wales Cricket Board's national lead batting coach.

The 41-year-old left-hander, who had an 18-year first-class career with Surrey and scored 6,744 runs in 100 Tests for England, has since returned to his former county as batting coach.

In his new role he will replace Australian Dene Hills, who has spent two years coaching batsmen within the England development programme as well as the Lions and performance squads.

Thorpe, who begins his new job next month, said: "I am very grateful to Surrey for giving me the chance to develop my coaching career. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to help prepare the next generation of England batsmen."