Gooch appointed as full-time England batting coach

London, Feb 19(ANI): Former England captain Graham Gooch has been appointed as England's batting coach on a full-time basis.

He has worked as a batting consultant with the England team since November 2009, but The English Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed his appointment for a permanent role ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka.

"I am delighted to be taking on the role of England batting coach on a full-time basis. I will now have the opportunity to spend a lot more time with the players and other coaches both in the build-up to series and during the series themselves," Gooch said.

He said the England team possesses several talented batsmen and it would be exciting for him to help them develop into mature batsmen.

"I firmly believe that with the talent we have at the moment within the batting unit and those pressing for places we can continue to develop and improve as a side, which is a very exciting prospect," The Sun quoted Gooch, as saying.

Meanwhile, England team director Andy Flower believes Gooch already has an excellent understanding with players and added that he is glad that Gooch has joined them on a permanent basis.

"Graham has an excellent relationship with our batsmen and is already an important part of our management team so I am very pleased that he will be joining us on a full-time basis," Flower said. (ANI)