Ramprakash returns to Middlesex

By Mark Pennell

Former Surrey and England batsman Mark Ramprakash has returned to his roots at Lord’s to become batting coach at Middlesex – his first county club.

He has always lived in Middlesex, and occasionally played for Stanmore Cricket Club, and Ramprakash has agreed terms on a two-year deal to replace Mark O’Neill who, after three successful years as Middlesex’s batting coach, has chosen to return to Australia.

Ramprakash amassed more than 50,000 runs in all forms of the game, scoring 35,659 first-class runs alone at a career average of 53.14. The last batsman to score 100 first-class hundreds, Ramprakash finished with 114 tons in total, placing him joint 15th – level with Sir Vivian Richards – in the world all-time list of century-makers.
 
In his 13 summers in the Middlesex first XI he passed 1,000 runs for a season on 10 occasions, peaking in 1995 with a remarkable aggregate of 2,258 runs at an average of 77.86 before leaving to join Surrey in 2000. He retired midway through last season, and since then has worked as a batting coach with the England Performance Programme.

Commenting on Ramprakash’s return to Middlesex, managing director of cricket Angus Fraser said: “I am thrilled to have Mark back at Middlesex. It is my job to provide Middlesex’s cricketers with the best possible coaching, support and advice available and in Mark Ramprakash they have that.

“Mark will offer our batsmen something different. His record speaks for itself, and in the past 25 years there has not been a better batsman in county cricket. Mark has experienced almost everything it is possible for a batsman to experience and the knowledge that he can pass on to our cricketers is unsurpassable.”

Ramprakash said: “Middlesex is the club that gave me the chance to achieve what I have in cricket and I am delighted to be able to return to work with and to help the current and next generation of Middlesex cricketers. I am excited by the talent in the current crop of players and look forward to contributing to the club.”


Date: 19/12/2012 19:06:00 by Mark Pennell
In: Today | Surrey | Middlesex |