Allott leaves Sky to take top Lancashire job

Paul Allott, the former England seamer, is to be appointed director of cricket at Lancashire.

According to a report in The Guardian, Allott will leave Sky Sports, where he has worked for the best part of two decades, to take up a role vacated by the departure of Ashley Giles to Warwickshire at the end of the season.

The move is not expected to affect the position of the coaching staff at Lancashire, with Glen Chapple expected to remain as head coach.

Allott has long been influential at Lancashire. As a Board member, he was a key advocate of Chapple's appointment as head coach. His role, in the manner of the previous holder of the post, Mike Watkinson, is expected to be a wide-ranging supervisory role.