Gareth Batty led his first training session this week after he was named Surrey’s interim head coach for the 2022 season.
Batty will be supported by Jim Troughton and Azhar Mahmood, who will join as interim assistants.
Batty took over from Vikram Solanki, who has become director of cricket at the Ahmedabad side in the Indian Premier League. Assistant coach Richard Johnson left to become head coach of Middlesex.
Troughton is joining Surrey for the first time while Mahmood is returning to the club after a professional career that saw him win the County Championship, the National League and the T20 Cup.
Troughton is a former head coach of Warwickshire who worked as a batting consultant to Somerset last year. He enjoyed a fifteen-year career as a player, playing six One Day Internationals for England and captaining Warwickshire to the County Championship in 2012.
Mahmood will assist until the end of July, when he will return to an existing role with the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred. He has international experience as bowling coach with Pakistan as well as working with the Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans. He is currently head coach of Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.
Both Troughton and Azhar will arrive in early March.
“To be offered this opportunity is a great but very unexpected honour for me,” Batty told Surrey’s website. “After retiring last summer, I was really enjoying working under Vikram and I see this as a great chance to keep working with this group of players.”
Troughton added: “I have a huge amount of respect for Alec Stewart and Vikram Solanki. Both were instrumental in me making this decision to join an illustrious club such as Surrey CCC.
“Alec’s vision for the role and the chance to work with some fantastic senior and junior players in the current set up is extremely exciting.
“Surrey have the ability to compete in all forms, possess current and potential England players and to be a part of that is a fantastic opportunity. I can’t wait to get started.”
“I’m very excited and thrilled to be back at Surrey County Cricket Club,” Mahmood said. “The club is very close to my heart and I’m looking forward to working with old friends and new and a very talented and skilful squad.”
Stewart welcomed the new coaching trio. “Losing our head coach and an assistant coach so close to the start of the season is not ideal but I have every confidence in Gareth, Jim and Azhar stepping up to the plate and passing on their vast experience and knowledge to the squad,” Stewart said.
“Gareth knows the club inside-out and already has the respect of the dressing room which will make his transition to interim head coach a seamless one.
“Jim and Azhar are both excellent additions to our coaching team and I look forward to them working with the players and being an important part of our set-up this season.”