The England and Wales Cricket Board today announced that the England Coach Duncan Fletcher had accepted the Board's offer of a one-year extension to his present contract.

Fletcher, whose current two-year deal is due to expire in 12 months time, will now continue at the helm of the international side until at least the autumn of 2004.

The 54-year-old Zimbabwean was appointed Coach in July 1999 in succession to David Lloyd and took charge of England for the first time on the winter tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1999-2000.

He has worked closely with the England captain, Nasser Hussain, and under their leadership the side won four Test Series in a row for the first time since 1979 including a double triumph in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000-01.

ECB Chief Executive, Tim Lamb, said: "Over the past three years, Duncan has proved himself to be an excellent man-manager, a sound judge of talent and an astute tactician.

"As well as forging a strong working relationship with Nasser, he has injected new ideas into the England dressing room and a positive approach. The fact that numerous England players have gone on record in praising his understanding of the game speaks volumes about his ability as a coach.

"Both parties were keen to avoid any uncertainty over his future by addressing the contractual issue sooner rather than later and we are delighted to have secured Duncan's services for a further 12 months beyond next summer."

Duncan Fletcher said: "I'm pleased that this issue has been resolved now so that I can fully focus on The Ashes and the World Cup freed from any unnecessary distractions. There are a number of promising young players coming into the international set-up at present and I believe that the England side can only get better as the benefits of Central Contracts and the ECB National Academy take effect.

"International cricket is a hard taskmaster, but I feel that I have plenty more to offer in the job. We have already laid the foundations of a successful side and the contract extension will give me the opportunity to help the England team progress still further."

© ECB