Giles rejoins Warwickshire as sport director

ASHLEY Giles has left Lancashire to rejoin Warwickshire as sport director.

Ex-England spinner Giles was previously director of cricket at Edgbaston and he will oversee both the men's and women's teams, as well as the club's academy, in his new role.

The 43-year-old was Warwickshire's leading choice to replace Dougie Brown and, having reached an agreement with the Bears, Lancashire have released him from his contract at Old Trafford, which was due to expire in 2018.

Giles said: “The new role at Edgbaston is a great opportunity and I am delighted to return to Warwickshire.

"Whilst I have a lot of history with the Bears and have previously enjoyed success as a player and a coach, this is a brand new challenge and I look forward to meeting up with all the players and the new management team in January.”

Neil Snowball, Chief Executive of Warwickshire CCC, said: “It’s a very exciting time for Warwickshire CCC, with Ashley’s appointment completing the new structure of our senior management team at Edgbaston.

“I would like to express my thanks to Lancashire County Cricket Club for their understanding and for agreeing to release Ashley from his contract to be able take up this new role at Edgbaston.”

The announcement follows the recent first-team coach appointment of Jim Troughton, who will report into Giles as part of the new structure along with head of women’s cricket Darren Franklin and elite performance manager Paul Greetham.