The former England batter and ECB chief scout spent four seasons at Grace Road as a player
James Taylor is back at Leicestershire as the new batting coach.
The former England and Nottinghamshire batter spent four summers at Grace Road as a player between 2008 and 2011.
Taylor, 32, made 140 appearances across the formats, scoring in excess of 6,000 runs.
He broke into the England fold towards the end of his Leicestershire career, going on to play seven Tests and 27 one-day internationals.
Between 2012 and 2016 he played 139 times for Notts but his career was cut short by serious heart condition arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).
In July 2018, he was installed as a full-time selector and then head scout of the England team, but he stepped down from the role earlier this summer having been overlooked for the position of chief selector.
Taylor played seven Tests for England, scoring two fifties, before being forced into retirement (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP via Getty Images)
A welcome return to the sport in familiar climes nonetheless represents a major challenge for Taylor.
Leicestershire finished bottom of the LV= Insurance County Championship for the eighth time in 14 seasons and winless on the fourth occasion in the last 10.
Only Essex picked up fewer batting points in the Championship, as the Running Foxes were bowled out for 250 or fewer on 13 occasions.
Colin Ackermann (744 runs at 35.43) was the only batter inside the top 50 run-scorers across both divisions.
Taylor is the latest addition to Paul Nixon's coaching team following last summer's arrival of Alfonso Thomas as bowling lead.
Jigar Naik was named as head of the talent pathway in March after the exit of Alastair Maiden to Yorkshire.
Claude Henderson was appointed as full-time director of cricket at the start of October after an interim spell in charge during the 2022 season.
It was another troubling season for Paul Nixon's side (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
"I'm delighted to be back with Leicestershire," said Taylor. "I've got so many fond memories here and I can't wait to add to those.
"A real passion of mine is helping people and coaching is something where I can do that. I've got a wide range of different experiences and hopefully, some of that knowledge can transfer to the players.
"There are some hugely talented players here at Leicestershire, and I can't think of a better place to come and work to try and make a difference. I want to help take the club forward in any way I can."
Henderson added: "I am very excited to add James to our coaching team. He comes with a wealth of experience, and his character and knowledge will significantly benefit the batting group.
"James has a clear understanding of what the modern batter requires to be successful, and his knowledge of what it takes to be successful for Leicestershire will certainly benefit the players, Paul Nixon and his support staff."
Lead image courtesy of John Mallett/Leicestershire CCC
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