Stewart wants Surrey back at top

Mark Church
BBC London 94.9 Surrey commentator

Stewart wants the team to return to the success of the 1990s.

Former England captain Alec Stewart says he wants to help Surrey return to the top of the county game after their Championship relegation last year.

Stewart, 45, played at the Oval for 22 years and has now joined the coaching staff, alongside manager Chris Adams and batting coach Graham Thorpe.

Stewart, who played in 133 Tests, told BBC London 94.9: "It's a great club but it's had some tough times recently.

"We've got to make sure that we're looked upon as the very best."

Stewart was appointed England Test captain in 1998 but lost the role after defeat in the Ashes and failure at the World Cup in 1999.

He averaged just under 40 in Test cricket, with 15 centuries and 45 half-centuries to his name when he retired in 2003, and now he wants to pass his experience on to his former county's current players in his part-time coaching role.

Surrey were relegated to Division Two of the County Championship last season, and Stewart wants his old county back where he believes they belong.

"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Surrey cleaned up. Winning is a habit and we've got to get that winning habit back," he said.

I can specialise on the batting front and the keeping front, [but] I also believe that wicketkeepers have a great view to look at bowlers too

Alec Stewart

"That was a great time but, like with any great team, that cycle has to come to an end, which it did quite quickly for various reason - retirements, players leaving and so on.

"So now we're rebuilding and I had sympathies with [former coach] Alan Butcher. He had it tough because he was coming into a set-up that may not have been as it should have been. He was trying to patch things up.

"A lot of the good work that he put in has helped build the foundations for Chris [Adams] and the team to take it forward."

A wicketkeeper-batsman, Stewart believes his advice can extend beyond those two disciplines.

"I can specialise on the batting front and the keeping front, [but] I also believe that wicketkeepers have a great view to look at bowlers too," he said.

"I know [Surrey keeper] Jon Batty helps the current bowlers during the game time because he's there seeing wrist and head positions.

"So I'm there to offer any advice that is sought.

"I wouldn't have said yes to the job if I didn't want to do it and didn't believe I could make a difference.

"When you watch you can't make a difference, but if you're there getting your hands dirty then you take on that responsibility of making sure that Surrey do return to where they should be."