Alleyne replaces Bracewell in charge at Gloucestershire

Mark Alleyne is to become Gloucestershire's player-coach next season. Alleyne, who has captained the county to six one-day trophies since 1999, replaces John Bracewell, who left at the end of last season to coach New Zealand.

Alleyne, 35, will continue to lead the one-day side, while a new captain for the Championship will be announced in the spring. "I am really excited about the challenges that I will face in this appointment," he said. "I realise I will have lots of demands on me and will have to juggle the management requirements of a head coach with playing, but I am confident that I can do this."

"We are all delighted that Mark is taking on this challenging role," said Tom Richardson, the chief executive. "Following the departure of John Bracewell, we felt we had lost one half of the most successful cricket management team that the club has ever had and we feel now we can maximise the potential of the other part, namely Mark Alleyne."

Alleyne made his debut for Gloucestershire in 1986 and has scored over 14,000 first-class runs and taken 403 wickets. He also played in 10 one-day internationals for England between 1999 and 2000.