MARCUS Trescothick is to leave his role as assistant coach at Somerset County Cricket Club next month, in order to take up a new position with the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Trescothick, who only became a coach at Somerset last season (while also working as head of cricket at Taunton School), will become elite batting coach at the ECB in mid-March.

He had been due to arrive in India last week with the England limited-overs party, but pulled out due to a family bereavement.

The 45-year-old enjoyed a brilliant playing career over 27 seasons, helping Somerset win the One-Day Cup in 2001 and the Twenty20 Cup in 2005.

He also played in 76 Tests and 123 One-Day Internationals for England, standing in as captain for two Tests and 10 ODIs, before his international retirement in 2008.

Trescothick is one of three new appointments in the England men's pathway, alongside Young Lions head coach Jon Lewis, who has been promoted to the role of elite pace bowling coach, and Jeetan Patel, who has been appointed as permanent elite spin bowling coach.

Lewis' role with the Young Lions has been filled by Richard Dawson, who had previously been Gloucestershire CCC head coach.

Mo Bobat, ECB performance director, said: “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been working to grow our pool of players that are ready to play for England, achieving the type of depth that has enabled us to compete successfully across formats, both home and away.

"The elite coaches will play an important role in enhancing this depth further, helping us to sustain success over time.

"We want to be renowned and respected for the quality of our coaching.

"Following an extensive recruitment process, I’m really excited about the calibre of the individuals that we’ve appointed into these specialist roles.

"Marcus, Jon and Jeetan have demonstrated their ability at the highest level and also show huge potential for the future.

"Working alongside Carl Hopkinson, our current elite fielding coach, we have the makings of a strong specialist coaching team, possessing a diverse range of experience.

"Working in conjunction with counties, they will have responsibility for developing and preparing current and next-in-line England players, while also adding value to our England and Lions environments.

"In addition, they will support the development of our best Under-19 players through our Young Lions programme."

Bobat added: "With a busy season of cricket fast approaching, I’m grateful to both Somerset and Gloucestershire for releasing Marcus and Richard in a timely manner and I’m looking forward to our new coaching team working together in the build-up to our summer international programme.

"I’m also appreciative of the support that all counties have provided over the last 16 months, allowing us to engage their coaches while our own positions have remained vacant."

Trescothick joins the England set-up ahead of a busy international summer schedule, which features matches against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India.

Regarding his decision to leave Somerset, Trescothick told the club website: "This is a great opportunity which will allow me to further my coaching career and gain more experience.

"It’s a decision that comes with a heavy heart, but I think that it is the right move for me at this time.

"I’ll be working across different areas from Young Lions, to Lions and also with the 1st XI as well.

"It’s about preparing batters and getting them ready to move on to higher honours as they go along.

"The fact that I can do a few different roles within the position will really help me develop and give me exposure to some high-level coaching.

"I want to further my career so that I can eventually become a head coach at a domestic county, with the hope of moving into international cricket somewhere down the line.

"To do that I need to branch out and look at different environments in order to get a better understanding of certain things, and this will certainly give me the opportunity to do that.

"Although I’m leaving, I’m still going to be around the place to come in and see some of the batters that Somerset have.

"Not being around the County Ground as much as I normally am is certainly going to be a bit different.

"Hopefully, this might be the stepping stone for me to one day come back and look after the team here.

"I’ve been lucky enough to have a few trips with England in the last couple of years and I’ve really enjoyed my time working at that level.

"You’ve got to keep moving forward and this position gives me the opportunity to do so - I’m really looking forward to it."

Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry said: “Marcus has made a significant contribution both on and off the field as a Somerset and England player.

"Over the last year, and indeed leading up to that period, he has grown his experience and expertise to support player’s needs as he has embarked on his coaching career.

"Once again, in this role he added real value to our environment.

"He has been part of the club’s fabric for over three decades and he is Somerset through and through.

"It’s been a real pleasure to see how he has developed as a coach in what has been a natural step in his career.

"Both he and the club should be really proud of this exciting appointment and the role that he will play in nurturing England’s talent.

"On behalf of our players, staff, members and followers of Somerset CCC, plus everyone associated with the club, we wish him and England every success as he embarks on this new chapter."

Somerset chief executive Gordon Hollins said: "To put it in simple terms, Marcus Trescothick is one of the finest batsmen that this country has ever produced.

"His skill, professionalism, dedication and passion for the game saw him reach the very top.

"He has now become a very fine coach and it is no surprise that England have called on his services.

"It’s not just on the field that he has excelled. His charity work, particularly within the field of mental health, has benefitted a huge number of people.

"Marcus is a true Somerset legend and he will always be welcome back here.

"He will be sorely missed and we wish Marcus every success in his new role."

Trescothick becomes the second Somerset coach to leave for a role in international cricket in recent months, with Stuart Barnes departing to join the Ireland set-up and Steve Kirby coming in to fill the role of bowling coach.