Bruce French retires as England wicketkeeping coach

The 61-year-old will operate as a part-time consultant after deciding to spend more time with his family

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England's lead wicketkeeping coach Bruce French has taken the decision to retire to spend more time with his family.

Since linking up with the ECB in 2009, the 61-year-old has worked with the likes of Sarah Taylor, Matt Prior and Jos Buttler.

French will continue as a consultant across the game, but only on a part-time basis.

He played 16 Tests and 13 one-day internationals for England and spent 19 years at Nottinghamshire, making 656 appearances.

Mo Bobat, England men's cricket performance director said: "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.

"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.

Ashley Giles, managing director of England men, added: "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."

The news comes after long-time operations manager Phil Neale stood down after 21 years last week.