Chris Adams sacked by Surrey

Chris Adams has been sacked as Surrey's team director while his assistant, Ian Salisbury, has also lost his job as the club launch a radical shake-up following their poor start to 2013 season.

Adams joined Surrey amid much fanfare in 2008 but under his leadership there has only been one piece of silverware - the CB40 in 2011.

He has presided over the controversial approach of signing a host of ageing players to try and bring some stability to the club following the traumatic events of 2012 in which Tom Maynard, Surrey's England Lions batsman, lost his life in a tube accident, the captain, Rory Hamilton-Brown sought a fresh start at Sussex and there was criticism of behavioural standards in the squad.

It was an exhausting task for Adams to hold the club together during one of the most difficult periods in its history.

Surrey's recent Championship match against Sussex, at Arundel, was their sixth draw of the season and they are seventh in the Division One table just eight points clear of the relegation spots. In the YB40 the team are second bottom in Group B, only ahead of Scotland, with two wins.

The county made a host of big-name signings over the winter, notably Graeme Smith and Ricky Ponting, but Smith was forced to leave due to an ankle injury.

Alec Stewart, the former England captain, will take temporary charge of the first-team while Stuart Barnes, the bowling coach, will be given an expanded role in the weeks ahead. Stewart's first match will be the County Championship game against Yorkshire which is also set to be Kevin Pietersen's return to action following his knee injury.

Richard Gould, Surrey's chief executive, said: "Chris and Ian have worked really hard for the club and we appreciate their endeavours during the past five seasons. The club has decided it is now time to make a change in order to progress further."