KENT'S opening batsman David Fulton, the man England overlooked for this winter's tours to India and New Zealand, will captain the county's four-day championship side in 2002. Fulton, voted the Professional Cricketers' Association player of the season, will take over the helm for first-class games from Matthew Fleming.

In a unique move in the club's 131-year history, Fleming will remain overall club captain and will retain off-field duties and responsibility for the side during limited overs' matches. Fulton, 30, said: "It's an honour and a huge compliment to be invited to captain the county, but it's not my place to blow my own trumpet and say what qualities I will bring to the job.

"It's for other people to decide what they feel I can give to the job, but I am very excited and feel that it is a very workable situation. It's a novel and revolutionary idea to split the captaincy in this way and in many ways moves Kent ahead of the game compared to other counties.

"Matthew is a powerful personality as captain, so whoever followed him was in for a tough job, but I will take my steps slowly and surely and do things at a pace that's comfortable to me."

Fulton will be joined at the helm by the county's new director of cricket, Ian Brayshaw who joins Kent from Australian state side Western Australia. A 59-year-old former all-rounder, who played 101 first-class games for WA, he retired from the game in 1977 and has been part of the team behind the development of the WACA ground in Perth as a Test venue.

He also masterminded the formation of the WACA cricket academy, a role that will be part of his brief with Kent next season. Brayshaw, who has also worked for Perth Television company Channel 10, was recommended to the county by last season's coaching advisor John Inverarity, who was Brayshaw's state captain for a hugely successful decade from 1967.

Inverarity has also agreed to return to the county for short stints in both 2002 and 2003 to oversee the club's coaching restructure plan.