MCC changes prompt Graeme Fowler to step down

Graeme Fowler, the former England batsman, has stepped down from his position as head coach at Durham MCCU - a role in which he has helped forge the career of six England players including Andrew Strauss - as a result of changes introduced by the MCC.

Fowler, 58, who played 21 Tests and 26 ODIs for England, founded the centre of excellence scheme at Durham University in September 1996. It proved so successful that the ECB soon set up five more centres in other university towns or cities based on his model.

It was recently calculated that just over 22% of England-qualified players currently in the county game had come through one of the schemes, with Durham providing 60 county players, six county captains, six England players including two women and Strauss, the newly appointed director of England cricket who played 100 Tests for his country - 50 as captain.

But Fowler is concerned that changes demanded by the MCC - the funders of the scheme - will compromise its effectiveness and has made the decision to stand down after 19 years in the role.

"Recently the MCC have proposed changes to the direction of the centres away from being purely about excellence into a more broad base which includes more emphasis on a community based programme," Fowler said in a statement released by Durham University, who officially employed him.

"Taking into account the evolution of the role of senior cricket coach, I have decided to step down after 19 years in post. This has been a very hard decision to reach."

While the MCC admitted they are not providing any more money in return for the increased expectations they have for the schemes - they currently provide £92,000 to each of the six centres - they insist there is no threat to the production of first-class players.

"There is no change in our intention to produce excellent first-class cricketers," an MCC spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. "It's more that we want to enhance the scheme.

"We want each of the six centres to become community hubs in line with our intention to increase participation figures, so we are looking for the MCC University players to volunteer for coaching sessions and we want to offer more opportunities for women cricketers.

"We don't see it as changing the scheme so much as bolstering it. We appreciate the colossal contribution Graeme has made over many years and we are sorry to see him leave."

While the MCCU scheme receives no direct funding from the ECB, its impact on domestic cricket over the last few years has been enormous. By allowing talented young players to continue their education while also pursuing their dream of playing professional cricket, it has prevented a situation where they have necessarily felt the need to choose between the two and means that players gain the qualifications and skills required for a life beyond cricket.

It thereby helps avoid some of the pitfalls that a previous generation of county players all too often suffered and helps players graduate into county teams with a little more maturity and life experience.

As Strauss put it: "It was at Durham University that I went through the transition of being a recreational cricketer to one who had the ambition to play the game for a living."

After announcing the news, Fowler's Twitter timeline was quickly filled with warm tributes from players - including Andrew Flintoff, Tim Murtagh, Luke Sutton, Lee Daggett, Michael Brown, Will Smith and Warren Hegg - thanking him for the huge contribution his advice and coaching had made on their careers and their lives off the field.

Flintoff's were typical. "You've finally graduated from Durham Uni!" he wrote in a series of messages. "You must be so proud of your time at Durham. Great to see all the messages of thanks from people you've helped over the years.

"Possibly the roughest I've ever been on a cricket field after a night at your house."

Coaching is not just about technique.. It is about the person and their life and personality... @GFoxyFowler was great in all 3.

— Michael James Brown (@MichaelBrown80) May 22, 2015