Paul Farbrace: Warwickshire sport director role will take him out of 'comfort zone'

Paul Farbrace was previously head coach at Kent and second team coach at Yorkshire

Paul Farbrace says he could not pass up the chance to take himself out of "a comfort zone" when he decided to leave England and join Warwickshire.

Farbrace is the new sport director at Edgbaston after standing down as England assistant coach this month.

He will oversee Warwickshire's men's senior squad as well as their women's sides and development programmes.

"This is a special club," he told BBC WM. "It's a winning environment and who wouldn't want to be part of that?"

Farbrace's decision to succeed now England men's cricket managing director Ashley Giles may have come as a surprise before a home World Cup and Ashes series for England this summer.

"It would've taken something very special to pull me away from England at this time and this is it," the 51-year-old said.

"Every time I've come here (Edgbaston) with England in the past few years, it just feels like such a great place to be.

"Normally in sport, you come into a job when things have perhaps not been going so well. This is an opportunity to come into a set up where things have."

Warwickshire are back in County Championship's top flight this season after winning Division Two in 2018.

"I've gained quite a lot of experience in my years of coaching, I'm keen to use that and test myself as well," said Farbrace, who will work in tandem with head coach Jim Troughton.

"You could stay in a bit of a comfort zone as an assistant coach. With this, you're doing something different.

"You're working with teams, you're working with individuals to test your experience and see if you have what it takes to do that.

"For me, that was something that really appealed in this very wide and varied role."

After spells as Kent head coach, Yorkshire second XI coach and Sri Lanka head coach, Farbrace joined England as assistant coach in 2014.

He initially worked under Peter Moores before staying on alongside Trevor Bayliss in 2015, but stepped down after England's recent tour of the West Indies.