Pick back to guide Notts bowlers

Nottinghamshire have appointed Andy Pick as a full-time bowling coach in a move that has rescued him from a failed attempt to modernise cricket in the United States.

Pick, who spent 15 years as a fast bowler at Nottinghamshire, is returning to the role for the third time since his retirement.

He resigned as high performance manager for the USA Cricket Association in October after only two months in the job, complaining of power struggles and a lack of professionalism and saying he was not prepared to put his personal and professional reputation at risk by staying in the job.

Nottinghamshire's vacancy came at a convenient time. "I felt that we needed a full-time bowling coach on board and we've been through an extensive recruitment process that has culminated in Andy Pick's appointment," Nottinghamshire's director of cricket, Mick Newell, said.

"He's a very highly-qualified coach with international experience and he knows the setup at Trent Bridge. He'll have broad responsibility to work with players at all stages of their development with a particular focus on the professional squad and the Academy."

Pick, who always kept his Nottingham home throughout his time away from county cricket, is relishing the opportunity to re-settle in his hometown after a decade on the road.

"This is a job that I really wanted and Nottinghamshire is the county I wanted to work with ahead of any other," he said. "I've always kept an eye on results here and I know most of the guys from some part-time coaching I've done in recent years but I'm looking forward to getting into it full-time."

Nottinghamshire have also installed Paul Franks as 2nd XI captain. Franks is aiming to qualify as an ECB level four coach. "I feel that there were certain aspects of my playing career where I didn't reach my potential and I want to help others to fulfil their own potential," he said.

"Andy Pick was fantastic for me when I was a young bowler. I joined the staff in 1996 when he was coming towards the end of his career and he offered tremendous support to the younger players. He will come back with fresh ideas which the players will respond well to and it will be great to hook up with him again."

Pick is a former coach of England Under-19s and Canada. Prior to his role with the USACA, Pick had been working full-time in Toronto as the ICC Americas regional high performance manager.