FORMER Pears pace bowler Alan Richardson has been unveiled as the club’s new head coach, replacing Alex Gidman who stepped down last month.
‘Richo’ will be joined by Kadeer Ali who has been elevated to assistant head coach as the off field shake up at New Road gathers pace.
The pair will take charge of the men’s first team immediately, leading the winter training programme with support from academy coaches when first team and academy players report back in mid-November.
Under the leadership of Richardson and Ali, club chiefs hope to see an ‘acceleration’ in the development of the club’s younger players.
Before joining the coaching staff in 2018, Richardson had a successful playing career, appearing in 169 first-class games, claiming 569 wickets, including 254 in his spell at Worcestershire, and was awarded Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2012.
He is a highly regarded coach and has been part of the England coaching staff on several occasions, most recently touring the Caribbean for the IT20 series in February.
The popular figure at New Road said his appointment was a ‘proud moment’ in his career.
“Kadeer and I always work hard to improve and develop players and we look forward to working more closely with our professional squad and the famous production line of talent from our academy,” he said.
“All of our efforts will be on helping these players fulfil their potential, both individually and, most importantly, as a team.
“I feel we’ve already got a good relationship with our members and supporters, and we’ll be looking to build on that and look forward to sharing lots of memorable moments with them.”
Kadeer, who started his career at Worcestershire before playing in more than 100 first-class games and representing England under-19’s with distinction, has been the 2nd XI coach since 2019.
“The members and supporters really know their cricket and have always been really welcoming to me, and I look forward to spending much more time with them going forward,” Kadeer said.
“We’ve got a young, hungry squad, and everyone has their best days in front of them. I’m excited about working with the players on a full-time basis.”
Outgoing Cricket Steering Group Chair Paul Pridgeon welcomed the pair to their new roles.
“They both have a deep understanding of the club and are amongst the most respected and progressive coaches around, having excelled in their coaching roles here and in previous roles,” he said.
“They deserve their chance to excel and build on our impressive foundations, and they will be further assisted by other important hires over the coming months.
Further permanent coaching support will also be added to this new setup, with an open process for applications to begin in the coming months.
The recruitment of a Director of Cricket is ongoing.