Durham [UK], December 3 (ANI): Durham Cricket has appointed former Netherlands coach Ryan Campbell as their new head coach.

"Durham Cricket are delighted to announce the appointment of Ryan Campbell as the Club's new Head Coach," said a statement from the county on Friday.

The 50-year-old Australian, who has previously coached internationally with the Netherlands, joins Durham on a 3 year-deal that will see him coach the professional squad until at least the end of the 2025 season.

After a successful 4-year tenure as the Dutch national head coach, Campbell leaves the Netherlands in a positive place, having guided them to 11th in the ICC ODI rankings in world cricket during this spell in charge.

He led the Netherlands to qualification for the 2021 Men's T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, while the Western Australian also coached the Dutch side during the 2022 World Cup, as the Netherlands finished fourth in the group - automatically qualifying for the 2024 edition in West IndiesUSA.

Prior to joining the Netherlands, Campbell coached Hong Kong men's national side where he was the batting coach, playing an important role in their T20 international development.

As a player Campbell represented Australia twice in ODI cricket, however his main impact came for Western Australia, representing the state for a decade as a wicketkeeper batter scoring 11 centuries and 35 half-centuries in first-class cricket.

On his appointment, Campbell said: "I am extremely honoured to be appointed Durham's Head Coach and I can't wait to get started. 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," he added.

Marcus North, 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 are 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.""Ryan is the right person to move us forward in our next chapter as we build on James Franklin's work at Durham over the last 4 seasons, hopefully putting us in the best position to challenge for silverware over the next few years," concluded Bostock. (ANI)