Paul Farbrace to lead Lancashire rebuild as director of cricket
Lancashire have appointed Paul Farbrace as their new director of cricket.
The club confirmed the move on 6 October. Farbrace succeeds Mark Chilton, who left last month after five years in the job. It is the first major appointment by new chief executive Richard Kenyon, according to BBC Sport.
The appointment is a sharp turnaround. Farbrace, 59, is Sussex head coach. He had been due to stay at Hove and step into a part-time director of cricket role from November. Sussex confirmed that plan in July.
He had announced in April that he would stand down as head coach at the end of the 2026 season. Matt Walker has been named as his successor at Sussex. Instead, Farbrace will now head north to Lancashire.
The job is broad. A director of cricket runs the playing side of a club, from recruitment to coaching structure, while the head coach works day to day with the squad. At Lancashire, Farbrace will also oversee the women's team.
Lancashire need fresh direction. They finished seventh in Division Two of the County Championship this season. The County Championship is England's domestic long-format competition, played over several days. Division Two is its second tier. Seventh is the lowest finish in Lancashire's history.
Sussex tell a different story. Farbrace led them to promotion from Division Two in 2023. This season they finished third in Division One, the top flight, despite starting the campaign with a 12-point penalty. That is a deduction imposed before a ball was bowled, which makes holding a top-three place a test of consistency.
Farbrace brings a broad CV. He is a former England assistant coach. Before Sussex, he spent three years as Warwickshire's sporting director and oversaw their County Championship triumph in 2021, as reported by Sky Sports.
As a player, he was a right-hand batter and wicketkeeper. He was born on 7 July 1967 in Ash-next-Sandwich, Kent.
What makes this stand out is the contrast. Farbrace has won a title. He has built a promotion side. Lancashire are asking him to repeat that work after a season that fell well short of their standards.
