Nottinghamshire’s Assistant Head Coach Paul Franks will take on Head Coach responsibilities for this summer’s Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Franks, who enjoyed a 20-year playing career with his home county, moved into a leadership role with the Second XI in 2013, leading the side to the Championship title in 2015 before officially retiring at the end of that summer.
In the winter of 2016, the Mansfield-born all-rounder became the club’s Assistant Head Coach, a role he has served in ever since.
During that time, the Outlaws have claimed T20 titles in 2017 and 2020, won the One-Day Cup in 2017 and earned promotion to Division One as champions in 2022.
Franks will continue as assistant for this summer’s Rothesay County Championship and Vitality Blast campaigns, before stepping into the lead role for a 50-over competition which concludes with a final at Trent Bridge.
“It’s an exciting prospect to have this different level of responsibility and a chance to look at things slightly differently,” he said.
“That incentive of a home final is there for us to grab - you never know how many times you’ll have an opportunity like that as a player, so you have to try and take it. But we have to earn the right to compete in a game of that magnitude.
“I’ll ask our players to be excited about playing for Notts, and to aim high. There will be competition for places, so there’ll be tough decisions to be made, but I want lads to feel that they’ve got to work to earn a place in our side.
“We want to compete, we want to maintain that connection with the people that come to watch us, and we’ll do what we can to create something that will last long in the memory.”
Prior to his elevation to the Assistant Head Coach role at Notts, Franks spent time as Assistant Coach for the UAE’s national side during the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
He returned to the nation in 2021 to coach with Team Abu Dhabi in the T10 League, and was part of Andy Flower’s Trent Rockets backroom team between 2021 and 2024, winning the competition in 2022.
Alongside fellow Trent Bridge alumnus Bilal Shafayat, he led Central Punjab to Pakistan’s domestic 50-over title in 2023.
“After almost 30 years at Trent Bridge, Paul knows the club and its culture better than almost anyone else – and crucially, he understands the standards required of a Nottinghamshire cricketer,” said Director of Cricket Mick Newell.
“In both on and off-field roles, we’re keen to help people to develop and move forwards in their professional careers, and Paul has earned this opportunity to take the next step as a leader within our setup.
“With the likes of Kevin Shine and Ant Botha supporting him, our 50-over side will benefit from an experienced coaching team as they look to return to the knockout stages.”
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