JON LEWIS, the Durham head coach, has left the club amid a major restructure of their coaching operation.

Instigated by the club’s director of cricket Marcus North, Durham are making changes to their set-up.

After replacing Geoff Cook, North’s first task was to complete a review of the club’s coaching structure.

And it is understood that the county will now not operate with a head coach in the manner that they have over the years.

The new structure will see a coach take control of the County Championship and List A side – viewed as a nine-month a year role.

A different part-time coach will run the T20 side. Durham will also seek to employ a part-time batting consultant and have two other full-time roles – Neil Killeen as bowling coach and Alan Walker as assistant coach or second XI coach.

Former England No 3 Jonathan Trott, now retired as a player, has been linked to the batting consultancy position.

Paul Collingwood would be a popular option for coaching role after he ended his playing career in September, but he is well-regarded in the England set-up and has recently returned from the successful Test tour of Sri Lanka.

On his appointment, North said of Collingwood: “It would be a shame not to have him involved in some capacity. He’ll be a man in demand, he’s already got contracts to coach for England over the winter. There’s no doubt there will be a lot of T20 franchises looking at his expertise too, so we’ll see where that goes.”

While Durham have been hit badly by financial problems in recent years, the club now feels they are through those difficulties and the changes are designed to modernise the system.

Lewis was invited to apply for a new role, but declined and instead leaves the club after 22 years as a player, captain and coach.

He moved from Essex in 1997, featuring in 146 first-class matches before retiring in 2006. His haul of 7,854 first-class runs remains the third-highest for the county.

Upon retirement Lewis moved straight onto the coaching staff and played a key-role in the development of youth players including Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Mark Stoneman and Keaton Jennings as second XI coach.

He was installed as first team coach midway through the 2013 season and went on to steer Durham to their third Championship title before being given the job on a permanent basis and he then oversaw the trauma of enforced relegation and the departure of a number of key players – Stoneman, Jennings, Scott Borthwick and Graeme Onions included.

Lewis, already linked with a role at Yorkshire, won the Royal London One-Day Cup a year later and led the Durham Jets to their first T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston in 2016.

Durham CEO, Tim Bostock said: “We wish Jon all the very best in the future and every success in his next career move.

“I would like to thank him for his hard work, dedication and outstanding commitment to Durham, Jon will always be welcome back here at Emirates Riverside.”