Lancashire are looking for a new first-team coach after cricket manager Mike Watkinson moved upstairs to a new role as director of cricket.

Watkinson had been in charge of first-team affairs since 2002 but will now take on a wider management role which will oversee all aspects of the county’s operations.

The Red Rose county has already experienced significant upheaval since the end of the 2008 season with captain Stuart Law and senior all-rounder Dominic Cork leaving in acrimonious circumstances.

Watkinson, a former Lancashire and England all-rounder, said: “The scope of my role as cricket manager has increased considerably over the last 12-18 months due to the demands of modern-day cricket and the modern player.

“I see this as a positive move for the club to give the team of players the resources that they need to perform to their best, and it’s a good opportunity for me to spread my involvement through different areas of cricket within the club and the county.

“It doesn’t mean I will be trading the tracksuit for a business suit, as I will still be coaching and continuing to do many of the things I’ve done before but on a more occasional basis, and this includes providing as much support as I can to the new first-team coach, and the professional set-up as a whole.”

Lancashire’s revamp comes after a season in which they only avoided relegation from the First Division of the County Championship in the final round of matches.

The county have pointed to their changed and growing business structure as the reason behind the creation of Watkinson’s new role.

Chairman Michael Cairns said: “In order to ensure the core business of the club, which is cricket, keeps up with the pace of change, the next logical step was to appoint a director with specific responsibility for all cricket aspects of the club.

“With his long-standing association with the club and his knowledge of all aspects of cricket in the county, Mike Watkinson was seen as the ideal person to fill this role.”