Butcher out as Surrey wield the axe

Surrey coach Alan Butcher has become the first victim of what is expected to be a huge shake-up at The Oval following the worst season in the county's history.

Butcher, the former Surrey and England opener, was yesterday sacked as coach at a meeting of the club's cricket management board.

His departure is sure to signal the departure of his assistant, Nadeem Shahid, and bowling coach Geoff Arnold.

There is also a question mark over the future of Butcher's 36-year-old son, Mark.

He missed most of the season due to a knee injury that may require a second operation this winter but is keen to carry on as captain.

If he does continue as skipper, he is likely to find himself working with recently-retired Graham Thorpe, who is set to accept the job as Surrey's batting coach. Chris Adams, who only last week stepped down as Sussex captain, is a leading candidate to replace Butcher senior.

Surrey were relegated from the first division of the County Championship without winning a game and failed to make an impression in any of the limited-overs competitions.

And if there was any hope of Butcher hanging on to the coaching job, it disappeared with the expensive, and disastrous decision to hire Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar for the last two matches of the season.