Former captain Mark Wallace has vowed to put Glamorgan back on the path to success after being named the new director of cricket.
The 37-year-old succeeds Hugh Morris who left the role to focus on his position as chief executive with the club having struggled in recent seasons.
Wallace spent 18 years with Glamorgan before his retirement following the 2016 season and since then has been working for the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).
The former wicketkeeper, who starts his new role on February 1st next year, said: “I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to come back to Glamorgan.
“I’m looking forward to working with a young squad of players and alongside a talented coaching team.
“However, it won’t just be a question of working closely with the first team. We need to ensure we maximise all our resources and that means improving Welsh cricket in general and developing closer relationships with the clubs and Cardiff MCCU.
“I’m extremely grateful to the PCA for everything they’ve done for me and the past two years has been a brilliant learning experience within a high quality organisation.
“Having spent a few years outside of Glamorgan, I believe I can come into the club with new ideas and a fresh perspective to lead the club in the right direction.”
In his 18 years in the first team, he captained Glamorgan from 2013 to 2015, playing 264 first-class games. During his career he amassed 15,429 runs over all forms including 17 centuries and took 944 catches.
Wallace was elected as the PCA’s chairman in 2013 and was re-appointed to serve a second two-year term before taking up a permanent position with the organisation after his retirement as a player.
Wallace is also an ECB Level 4 qualified coach and has a Master’s Degree in Sport, Culture and Society from Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Glamorgan chairman, Gareth Williams, said: “Mark was the standout candidate for the position following a rigorous recruitment process which brought interest from around the globe.
“We were looking for someone who could lead cricket activities, recruitment, contracts, players and our development programmes, and also work closely with local clubs and universities and he ticked all those boxes.
“He has an in-depth knowledge of both the club and professional game in Wales and the culture within Glamorgan having spent years here as a player and captain.
“Through his work with the PCA he has gained experience outside Glamorgan and developed positive relationships with players and coaches across the country.
“He is a fantastic communicator as shown by his time here as captain and his broadcast work and he is a passionate Welshman who has always had the best interests of the club at heart.
“We’re very confident he will drive Glamorgan forward and help bring success to the club both on and off the pitch.”
Wallace will be tasked with improving Glamorgan’s fortunes on the field having finished bottom of the Championship last summer
That saw head coach Robert Croft leave with the reshuffle also seeing Morris concentrating on off-field and business duties.
Wallace will be looking to appoint a new head coach with interim boss and batting consultant Matthew Maynard a likely candidate.