Alec Stewart is back in charge full-time at Surrey County Cricket Club as he bids to lead his side back to the top.

The 62-year-old, who was behind his county winning four County Championship titles in seven seasons, slimmed down his responsibilities 12 months ago to look after his sick wife Lynn. She lost her long battle against cancer in April.

Stewart now feels ready to resume his role as director of cricket, having retained executive responsibility and worked behind the scenes for much of last season, with head coach Gareth Batty in the front line, when Surrey just failed to make it four Championship titles in a row after being edged out by Nottinghamshire.

Surrey chief executive Steve Elworthy said: “Alec’s commitment, drive and attention to detail have built the team into the side it is today and we know he will continue to progress the team as he resumes his role at the helm of the men’s game in the county.

“He has remained an important part of the cricket management team over the last 12 months and he continues to drive the highest of standards across the club.”

Stewart first took charge in 2013, when Surrey were plunging to their third relegation in eight seasons, patiently rebuilding with a side structured around home-grown players, to the extent that the Championship was won in 2018 and then there was a hat-trick of titles from 2022-24.

While Surrey are the best resourced club in the country, thanks to the commercial enterprise of the Kia Oval, that has never been a guarantee of playing success. Stewart’s man-management skills are allied with a vision of how players from the club’s talent pathway should be refined and amalgamated with recruits from outside.

He said: “My priorities have always been to support the cricket management team and the squad to be the best county in the country, to bring cricketers into our professional squad through our pathway system and help players to fulfil their dreams of representing their country.”

Four Surrey players - Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, Will Jacks and Gus Atkinson - featured in the England team at the Brisbane Test while another, Matt Fisher, has been added to the squad following the early return home of fast bowler Mark Wood.

Stewart made his return to the front line during the Metro Bank Trophy last year, while Batty was helping with Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, as a vastly depleted side won three out of eight matches.

The promising young players - such as Ralphie Albert and Adam Thomas - who made progress in that competition are among those to whom he will be looking to refresh the team as the current crop of senior players begin to fade away. Several are closer to the end of their careers than the start.

Surrey were also keen to ensure they retained the architect of their success, given the way the Ashes series has been turning into a disaster. Should the ECB decide that the England management needs to be changed, then Stewart would almost certainly be a target given his track record twinned with his own stellar international record as a player.

Club chairman Oli Slipper added: “Alec’s record speaks for itself and he’s been the driving force in so much of the club’s success over many, many years.”

Richard Spiller