Ian Salisbury, the former England legspinner, has joined Middlesex as a consultant coach, four months after his abrupt departure from Sussex due to a non-cricketing dispute with one of his players.
Salisbury, 52, was placed on gardening leave at Sussex in September, where he had been co-head coach alongside James Kirtley, and left the club at the end of the season.
He will now work alongside his fellow consultant Mark Ramprakash at Middlesex, under the direction of the first-team coach, Richard Johnson, as well as club coach Rory Coutts, and Director of Cricket Alan Coleman.
“I’m delighted to have joined Middlesex’s coaching group and it’s great to be back at Lord’s, a ground I played at in the early stages of my career as an MCC Young Cricketer, and where I made my Test debut for England,” Salisbury said.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Jono and the rest of the coaching group here at Middlesex and to the challenges that playing in Division One will bring. “The atmosphere in the playgroup is very positive and the team has a great mix of experience and youth. I am really looking forward to working with all of them and helping them grow as cricketers.”
Prior to his role at Sussex, Salisbury was also head coach of Surrey and head coach of England’s disabled team.He previously worked with Johnson in England’s development programme.
“I have known Salus for many years and after enjoying a hard-fought career with him in county games, I toured with him on tours abroad with England to India and Bangladesh and eventually to England. I trained with him on the development road,” Johnson said.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with him and I know what a great coach he is. He has extensive knowledge of the game and is very experienced as a player and coach, making him a great addition to the Middlesex coaching group as we look to develop and nurture the talent we have on our team here. I guess.”
Salisbury is expected to work extensively with Middlesex spinners, particularly Luke his Hallman and Thiranwalalawita.
“Bringing people like Salus into the group with people like Lampus is just a positive thing,” Johnson added. As a coaching group, it adds to us a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom that we can all benefit from.
“He’s a great guy, exactly the character I was looking for and a welcome addition to the club. I jumped.”