Vikram Solanki hopes Surrey head coach role will encourage coaches from BAME backgrounds

Vikram Solanki hopes his appointment as Surrey head coach will help pave the way for more coaches from BAME backgrounds to attain top roles in the game.

Solanki, 44, stepped up from his coaching role at the Kia Oval to become Michael Di Venuto’s successor last week and is looking forward to working with the players when they return to training on Monday.

A study reported five of 118 managers and coaches employed by the 18 first-class counties in 2019 are British Asian but the former England, Surrey and Worcestershire batsman says that he has not encountered prejudice in his professional career.

“I’m extremely proud of being the first Britain Asian head coach, I’m proud of my heritage – but it’s the role that I’m most proud of,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting involved and continuing the work that I’ve been doing as an assistant coach and taking on additional responsibility.

“There is obviously a lot going on at the moment, certainly in sport and in all walks of life, about the idea that perhaps some people are more prejudiced than others.

“I fully appreciate the difficulties in that but I can only speak of my experiences and my experiences in cricket have been extremely positive.

“That’s not to underplay anybody else’s experience because I fully appreciate that must be very difficult – if you feel as though you are in some way disadvantaged for whatever reason then that can’t be something that’s very easy to deal with.

“I had the opportunity to play with people from all different backgrounds, both for the clubs that I played for as well as for England.

“I’ve certainly been given an opportunity and I’ve seen some brilliant coaches from different backgrounds as well.

“I’m sure there is a huge amount to be done, but so long as the intention is there and people are prepared to understand what is needed then that is I suppose the right way to go about it.”

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Surrey failed to defend the County Championship title they won in 2018 last summer, finishing in sixth place some 95 points behind winners Essex with just two wins to their name.

But their players continue to catch the eye of the England selectors – this week opener Rory Burns, batsman Ollie Pope, all-rounder Sam Curran, wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes and spinner Amar Virdi being named in the 30-man training group ahead of the first Test against West Indies.

“We’ve got a lot to be proud of,” said Solanki. “If you think of this current group of players, some of them are at different stages in their career. Some of them have progressed into the England set-up, which they should be proud of and us as a club should be very proud of – and we are.

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