Head coach James Franklin to leave Durham at end of ongoing season

Durham [UK], September 4 : Durham County Cricket Club announced that their head coach James Franklin will leave the side at the end of the season when his contract comes to an end.
Franklin, who joined Durham in 2019, has overseen a period of transition in the club's history and was tasked with implementing a high-performance team and strategy to take the club forward.
The club have seen progress made on the field and behind the scenes during his spell in charge despite the challenges of the covid pandemic.
Despite the challenges, Franklin developed a squad which reached the One Day Cup Final in 2021 and he successfully continued the club's tradition of developing England players. Alex Lees, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts all made their England debuts during Franklins spell in charge and a number of young prospects were given opportunities and are now established, first-team players.
Franklin said in a statement: "I have enjoyed my time at Durham Cricket. It has been a privilege to work with my fellow support staff and a great group of players."
"The progression of pathway players into the first team and first team players onto the international stage has been pleasing. The Royal London Cup campaign in 2021 was a particular highlight. The time is now right for me to explore other opportunities to develop my coaching career. I would like to thank everyone at Durham Cricket and wish the Club every success for the future," he added.
Durham Cricket, Director of Cricket, Marcus North said: "We would like to thank James for all of his efforts over the past 4 years. He has been completely dedicated to the club since his first day in post and has shown unwavering commitment to developing the squad. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with James and we wish him every success in his future pursuits."
James Franklin is a former New Zealand all-rounder who represented his national side between 2001-2013.
He has played 31 Tests for the Kiwis, having scored 808 runs in 46 innings at an average of 20.71. Franklin's best individual score in the format is 122*. He has scored one century and two half-centuries in the format. He has taken 82 wickets in Test cricket.
Franklin has also played 110 ODI matches, in which he scored 1,270 runs in 80 innings at an average of 23.96. His best score in the format is 98*. Four half-centuries have come out of his bat in the format. Franklin has taken 81 wickets in this format.
Besides this, Franklin has played 38 matches in T20Is in which he has scored 463 runs at an average of 20.13 with two half-centuries. He has also taken 20 wickets in the format.