Chapple to take charge at Lancashire

Glen Chapple, Lancashire's captain and veteran attack leader, will take charge of the first team for the rest of the season, stepping up to fill the gap left by Peter Moores' appointment as England coach. Chapple has been tipped as Moores' permanent successor and he will have an opportunity to press his case as Lancashire attempt to cement their place back in Division One of the Championship.

Lancashire's director of cricket, Mike Watkinson, has previously suggested someone from outside the club could be brought in but they have opted for stability in the short term. Lancashire will look to appoint a coach to look after the 2nd XI, with Gary Yates continuing to assist Chapple and John Stanworth, the academy director, overseeing the seconds in the interim.

"It is crucial that we minimise the disruption to the cricket department while we are in the middle of an important run of matches and therefore we need to ensure that we have continuity and provide support, leadership and resources to help us achieve our aims and objectives," Watkinson said.

"In his position as club captain, Glen Chapple will have responsibility for the first team squad. Gary Yates will support Glen and spend the vast majority of his time around the first team squad.

"The club are actively looking to have an additional coaching resource in place as soon as possible, whose primary role will be working with the second eleven along with other coaching duties. John Stanworth will support the second eleven for the forthcoming fixtures but fundamentally his role will remain unchanged."

After being promoted as Division Two champions last year, Lancashire have lost and drawn their opening two matches of the current season to lie bottom of Division One. Chapple, who needs 61 wickets for 1000 in first-class cricket, is into his 22nd season with Lancashire and has passed his coaching certificates, spending time over the winter working as an assistant at the Potential England Performance Programme (PEPP) fast bowling camp in South Africa.

Lancashire's first match under Chapple will come at the weekend, when they travel to face Northamptonshire, the other promoted side who are also winless, at Wantage Road.

Moores' time at Lancashire finished with a draw against Warwickshire at Old Trafford on Wednesday. He has already begun work at the ECB's National Performance Centre in Loughborough and his attention will quickly switch to the county across the Pennines after Joe Root was named in Yorkshire's 13-man squad to play Middlesex.

Root, who will be in contention for a top-order batting spot in all three formats for England, made a half-century for Yorkshire seconds on Thursday and the Championship match at Lord's is expected to be his first competitive appearance since breaking a thumb on the tour of the Caribbean in March.