Ryan Campbell, the former Australia wicketkeeper whose six-year stint with the Netherlands culminated in their impressive displays at last month's T20 World Cup, has been named as the new head coach at Durham.
As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Campbell, 50, will take over from James Franklin, whose contract was not renewed after Durham's disappointing performances in the 2022 county season, in which they finished in the bottom three of the standings in the County Championship, Royal London Cup and T20 Blast.
Durham's squad does, however, contain a number of highly rated players, including Matt Potts, Brydon Carse and Alex Lees, all of whom have made England debuts in the past two years, and Campbell said he was looking forward to working with the squad.
"I am extremely honoured to be appointed Durham's Head Coach and I can't wait to get started," Campbell said. "I will be working with some of England's best cricketers as well as a young squad full of talent and I hope to bring an attacking, no fear style of cricket to the club.
"I also look forward to working with Marcus North to lead Durham to future success."
Campbell spent seven days in a coma in April after suffering a cardiac arrest, but returned to the Netherlands set-up as a consultant during the World Cup, where he bowed out on a high with a famous victory over South Africa in Adelaide that had huge ramifications for the tournament.
After qualifying for the main draw with wins over UAE and Namibia, Netherlands went on beat Zimbabwe as well, to finish fourth in the Group 2 standings, their best performance at an ICC global event.
"Beating South Africa in our last Super 12 game and qualifying automatically for the next T20 World Cup was an amazing finish to what has been a wonderful six years for me with Netherlands," Campbell told the Emerging Cricket podcast. "I leave with a lot of smiles, good memories and a lot of great friendships."
He has signed a three-year deal at Durham, which will keep him at the club until at least the end of the 2025 season.
North, Durham's director of cricket, said: "Following an extensive recruitment process, it became clear that Ryan was the best fit for Durham and the county.
"Ryan comes to Durham with an excellent reputation following a successful period as the Netherlands head coach. I look forward to working with him and continue to build on the foundations laid during the past 4 years with this exciting group of players."
Durham Cricket, Chief Executive, Tim Bostock said: "We're delighted that Ryan has agreed to become our new Head Coach and we are hugely excited to welcome him to Durham in the new year. He joins us with a wealth of experience and knowledge, and I believe he is the perfect fit for Durham."
Meanwhile, Mickey Arthur has signed a three-year contract extension with Derbyshire, after an impressive maiden season in 2022 which included a club-record nine wins in their Blast campaign.
"I've always said that Derbyshire is a county close to my heart since working with the likes of Eddie Barlow and Fred Swarbrook, and my first season with the club has only made that feeling grow," Arthur said.
"Supporters have made me feel instantly welcome, we have a squad full of potential and I'm looking forward to developing it and challenging for silverware at the very top of county cricket."