Fletcher to remain as England coach for two more years

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that Duncan Fletcher has been offered, and accepted, a two year extension to his current contract, meaning he will remain England Coach until at least September 30th, 2003.

The extension will run from the end of his current contract (September 30th, 2001), and Duncan Fletcher will therefore coach the England cricket team up to and including the next World Cup in South Africa in February/March 2003 and beyond.

Fletcher said: "I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to further build on the success we enjoyed this Summer, winning the Wisden Trophy and the NatWest Series. We have a good squad, who are well motivated and committed to continuing to improve their performances. There is a lot of work still to be done, but we are certainly moving forward in the right direction."

Tim Lamb, Chief Executive of the ECB, said: "We are delighted to have reached agreement with Duncan and very pleased that he is staying to continue the good work he has done in the past year. I think we can look forward to making further progress under the close working relationship that Duncan and Nasser Hussain have formed."

In addition to Duncan Fletcher, three other members of the England management team, Phil Neale, Operations Manager; Dean Conway, Team Physiotherapist and Nigel Stockill, Physiologist, have also been offered, and accepted, similar two year contract extensions up to September 30th, 2003.

Tim Lamb added: "It is essential at this level to have continuity and a stable set-up from which the England team can develop. I am therefore delighted the existing management team are all committed to England for an additional two years."