GLAMORGAN great Mark Wallace has been appointed as the county's new director of cricket.

The 37-year-old from Abergavenny played for Glamorgan for 18 seasons, making his debut aged 17 at Taunton in 1999, and was captain between 2013 and 2015.

The wicket-keeper enjoyed a run of 230 consecutive County Championship games and after retiring in 2017 he worked for the Professional Cricketers' Association.

Wallace will now return to Sophia Gardens to replace Hugh Morris, who gave up that part of his dual-role to concentrate on his responsibilities as chief executive.

Wallace, who has been playing for Premier League Newport, said: "I'm delighted to have been given the opportunity to come back to Glamorgan and I'm looking forward to working with a young squad of players and alongside a talented coaching team.

"However, it won't just be a question of working closely with the first team. We need to ensure we maximise all our resources and that means improving Welsh cricket in general and developing closer relationships with the clubs and Cardiff MCCU.

"I'm extremely grateful to the PCA for everything they've done for me and the past two years has been a brilliant learning experience within a high quality organisation.

"Having spent a few years outside of Glamorgan, I believe I can come into the club with new ideas and a fresh perspective to lead the club in the right direction."

Glamorgan had a nightmare 2018 in which they finished bottom of Division Two, had a miserable campaign in the One-Day Cup and failed to progress to the knockout stages of the T20 Blast.

That led to the departure of head coach Robert Croft and Morris concentrating on off-field matters.

Wallace will now be tasked with appointing a replacement for Croft with current batting consultant and caretaker boss Matthew Maynard keen on a second stint in charge.

Glamorgan chairman Gareth Williams believes Wallace is the ideal man to lead the club's bid for brighter times.

"Mark was the standout candidate for the position following a rigorous recruitment process which brought interest from around the globe," he said.

"We were looking for someone who could lead cricket activities, recruitment, contracts, players and our development programmes, and also work closely with local clubs and universities - he ticked all those boxes."