Surrey to promote Gareth Batty to head coach role following Vikram Solanki's departure

Batty is well thought of at The Oval, knows the playing and backroom staff well, and has intricate links to the club given his many years of service as a player

Gareth Batty is set to fill the vacant head coach role at Surrey.

The former England allrounder is to be promoted from assistant coach at the county following the departure of Vikram Solanki. He will take on the responsibilities on an interim basis, with a full recruitment process for a long-term successor expected to take place in due course.

Solanki's exit was confirmed by Surrey last week. He is off to become director of cricket at the new Indian Premier League franchise based in Ahmedabad.

Batty is well thought of at The Oval, knows the playing and backroom staff well, and has intricate links to the club given his many years of service as a player.

^{Gareth Batty is to be promoted to head coach at Surrey}

He is expected to be a popular appointment both among supporters and within the dressing room.

The 44-year-old only hung up his spikes at the end of last season. He had captained Surrey in the T20 Blast for the previous two years.

In October, he was confirmed as assistant to Solanki, but will now move into the top coaching job, working underneath director of cricket Alec Stewart.

Batty's elevation is one of a series of moving parts in the Surrey coaching setup.

^{Azhar Mahmood will join the club in an assistant coach role} 

Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan international allrounder who spent several successful seasons at The Oval as a player, is expected to return to the club as interim coach.

Mahmood, who is currently leading Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League, will offer an excellent outlet for the young seam bowlers in the Surrey structure.

The 46-year-old has previously spent time working with the England and Pakistan men's senior sides.

Meanwhile, Richard Johnson is expected to leave the club to take up the head coach role at Middlesex.

He replaces Stuart Law, who was dismissed last year after three disappointing seasons in charge.

The two assistant coach positions will also be the subject of a full recruitment procedure at the end of the 2022 campaign, with Surrey needing to act quickly to fill the gaps on a short-term basis given the proximity of the new county season.