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Kent have appointed former England wicketkeeper Paul Downton as their new director of cricket.

The 60-year-old was managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board from February 2014 to April 2015.

Downton played for Kent between 1977 and 1980, winning the County Championship twice before joining Middlesex, and also appeared in 30 Tests and 28 one-day internationals.

"This role allows me to draw on my skills and experience," he said.

"I'll be responsible for the business of cricket and making us as competitive as we can be on the pitch.

"We will aim to maximise our resources and make good strategic decisions in developing and attracting talent to the club."

Downton will be responsible for overseeing all cricket activities across all age groups, including recruitment of coaches and playing staff and player development.

His time in charge of the England team was marked by the dropping of Alastair Cook as one-day captain and Kevin Pietersen being told his England career was over after the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash in Australia.

Downton said at the time of the latter: "The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."