Solanki: Find more jobs for Asian coaches

SURREY’S new coach Vikram Solanki has urged cricket to reflect the nation’s ethnic make-up after becoming the first British-Asian to take charge of a county team.

The Indian-born Solanki, 44, spoke of his pride at being handed one of the English game’s top jobs. But in a country where around one in 12 of the population is of Asian heritage, he admitted he had no idea why it had taken so long for someone from his background to coach a first-class county.

As the debate rages over BAME representation at all levels of British sport, Solanki — who played the last of his 54 whiteball games for England in 2007 — said: ‘Racism in any walk of life is abhorrent. I feel a sense of regret for anyone who has experienced that. I’ve been very lucky.

‘Is my appointment a watershed moment? There is certainly a great degree of movement throughout the world, where people’s opinions are beginning to be heard. If that is the case, great.

‘All walks of life should reflect the sort of demographic in England. If that can be the case in cricket, then great. But as far as the counties are concerned, I couldn’t tell you why it’s taken so long.’

One of Solanki’s first tasks will be to get the best out of Surrey’s 21- year- old off- spinner Amar Virdi, named in England’s 30-man squad ahead of the first Test against West Indies on July 8.

Last summer Virdi was warned repeatedly by the club about his fitness, but Solanki said: ‘With the right strength and conditioning coaches around him, he’s getting to the point where he understands to be a professional cricketer he needs to be an athlete. He needs to be mindful of his fitness and his nutrition, and he’s responded really well to that. He’s one of the fitter lads in the Surrey squad now.’

Meanwhile, Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has signed for Glamorgan until the end of the 2022 season. And Yorkshire’s players have been told they will come off furlough and return to training on June 29.