Angus Fraser, the former England bowler and now cricket correspondent of The Independent, has been appointed director of cricket at Middlesex, who are currently playing in the Stanford Twenty20 series in Antigua.
Fraser, who will be responsible for all levels of the game within Middlesex, will leave the newspaper in the new year.
Vinny Codrington, the Middlesex chief executive, confirmed the appointment in Antigua. “He’s the man we want and we have agreed with Gus to start his role in January,†he said.
The announcement was widely rumoured in the press box at Test matches during the summer, although the announcement came as news to Fraser, who is on holiday in Pembrokeshire and has yet to see a contract, but he is known to be keen to reconnect with a club he served with distinction for 18 years.
“Gus is Middlesex through and through,†Codrington said, “and we’ll be fortunate to have him.â€
The Independent has made no announcement about who will replace Fraser as cricket correspondent. Stephen Brenkley, previously more closely associated with the Independent on Sunday, is in the Caribbean for the richest competition in the history of the game, and given the papers’ recent “rationalisation” of its daily and Sunday staffs over a seven-day operation, he may be favourite for the post.