Alec Stewart set to step down as Surrey director of cricket at the end of this year

The 60-year-old, who has overseen three County Championship titles, will leave at the end of the year.

"Without a doubt, this has been the toughest decision of my working career," said Stewart, whose association with Surrey stretches back to youth cricket before he signed his first professional contract in 1981.

"I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved over the last 11 years, winning trophies as well as continuing to produce our own players through the talent pathway and providing players for England.

"The main reason for informing the club at this point in time is to give them enough notice to find a suitable replacement.

"The job is not one that you can just leave at the ground, as it demands 24/7 attention. As people may know, my wife has been battling cancer since 2013 and I want to give her, and my family, more of my time over the coming years than this job allows.

"I will always be available to support the club in any way that I can and would also consider other opportunities in and around the game that work for me and the family."

Surrey chair Oli Slipper hopes to still be able to tap into Stewart's extensive experience.

"Whilst he is stepping down from his role at the club, we do not want to lose his knowledge of the game and I have no doubt that his successor will always have a helpful voice to call upon if needed," he said.

As a player Stewart racked up 133 Tests and 170 one-day internationals for England, scoring over 13,000 runs across the two formats with 19 centuries, and a further 314 first-class and 334 List A games for Surrey.