James Franklin: Durham appoint former New Zealand all-rounder as head coach

James Franklin made 31 Test appearances for New Zealand

Durham have appointed former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin as their new head coach.

Franklin, 38, joins on a two-year contract and will start working at the Riverside in February.

He will be assisted by former Durham players Neil Killeen and Alan Walker, who have agreed new deals.

"I'm delighted to be given the opportunity to lead coaching at Durham," Franklin said. "I can't wait to join up with the squad and staff."

He succeeds Jon Lewis, who left after 21 years with the county in December following "a review of cricket operations".

Franklin added: "There's no doubt it's been a challenging couple of years for Durham.

"But now it's about moving forward, making progress both on and off the field and once again striving to make Durham one of the powers of the English domestic competition."

Killeen, 43, has accepted the role of bowling coach, while Walker, 56, will be assistant coach with a focus on second-team cricket.

Durham also hope to appoint a batting consultant in the near future to complete the new coaching structure.

"Following an extensive recruitment process, it became clear that James was by far the best fit," director of cricket Marcus North said.

"I'm extremely excited for James' arrival and look forward to working with him."

Franklin, one of only two New Zealanders to take a hat-trick in a Test match, played county cricket for four teams and captained Middlesex to the Championship title in 2016.