Kent assistant coach Allan Donald is to leave the club at the end of this season.

The former South African fast bowler departs after two years with the county who have said they are now going to restructure their coaching line-up.

Donald, 52, joined Kent at the beginning of 2018, joining up with the squad for the pre-season trip to the West Indies.

He had been due to be the club's assistant coach for the 2017 season but only had a Level 2 coaching qualification and needed Level 3.

He subsequently spent part of that summer working with Sri Lanka’s Champions Trophy squad – a role he was able to fulfil because visa requirements only apply to employers in the UK.

Donald has been a key figure helping to develop Kent’s pool of talented young bowlers over the past two seasons, hosting several of them at training camps in South Africa during the winters.

He described his time with Kent as rewarding, adding: “It’s been a great experience working with Walks (coach Matt Walker) and the whole squad at Kent.

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"Over the past two seasons, it’s been hugely rewarding to see the development of young and exciting players.

"We have been uncompromising in raising standards here through our transition into Division 1 and shown that we can compete and win at this level.

"There’s a squad of players here who are hungry to learn and it has been great to be a part of the team that has set up a culture and values that will stand Kent in good stead for the future.​"

Kent director of cricket, Paul Downton said Donald had been an invaluable addition to the county's coaching staff for the past two seasons.

He added: "We have benefited hugely from 'AD' bringing his Test match intensity to the dressing room, as well as from his coaching skills and experience as we look to build a top class bowling attack across all formats.

"Working with head coach Matt Walker, we will now begin a restructuring programme of the coaching set-up at the club.

"We aim to recruit both a specialist bowling coach and a specialist batting coach who will be available for all 12 months of the year to work within our pathway during the winter, as well as with our professionals all year round.

"It will be a major boost to our strategic goal of producing more home-grown Kent cricketers in the future, and to help them in their transition from county age groups and the Kent Cricket Academy to the first team.

“Allan is of course a legend of the game, as shown by his recent induction into the ICC Hall of Fame, and he has been a fantastic mentor to the players here over the past two years. Everyone at the club would like to thank Allan for all he has done here at Kent and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

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