Adams leaves Kent head coach role

Kent head coach Jimmy Adams is leaving the county to return to Jamaica.

Adams, 48, has been one of several coaches listed as a potential candidate for the West Indies role. He missed the final game of the Championship season against Essex after he was granted permission to return to Jamaica for personal reasons.

Adams departs after five years and said: "I've enjoyed my time at Kent which has been a great learning experience for me. I wanted to be involved in a club that was seeking to grow and I am fortunate to have found that here at Kent over the past five seasons.

"It's been a delight being involved with all our players as they have developed during the period and especially watching the younger players who have made the step up to first-class level. Working with the club to develop a stronger support team to back up our players has also been a highlight for me."

Adams has supervised a period in which Kent have often faced stiff financial constraints but have successfully developed a new wave of homegrown talent - with batsmen to the fore - such as Sam Billings, Daniel Bell-Drummond and captain Sam Northeast.

Although showing signs of improvement, they have failed to break into the First Division of the Championship. They finished runners-up in 2016 and have called up legal support to question why they did not win an additional promotion place, alongside Essex, this season when Durham were demoted following an ECB financial bail-out.

They also failed to make an antiicipated strong showing in the NatWest Blast and Adams received some criticism behind the scenes for his handling of Matt Coles' disciplinary issues.

Chairman George Kennedy said: "We thank Jimmy for his fine service of the club and wish him all the best for the future. His commitment to developing Kentish cricket talent is shown by the core of homegrown players now at the heart of our professional squad."