Matt Walker | "I'm really looking forward to getting going"

A new chapter. Monday, 2 November marked the beginning for Matt Walker as Sussex Men's Head Coach having been announced as Paul Farbrace's replacement 104 days prior. Since then, he's helped Warwickshire to a first Rothesay County Championship Division One title in five years as Batting Coach with Walker's focus now fully shifting onto his new county.

The 52-year-old put pen to paper back in July, becoming the new Head Coach of Sussex. Walker enjoyed a distinguished playing career with Kent and Essex, scoring more than 18,000 runs across all formats before moving into coaching. After working as a batting coach at Essex, he returned to Kent as Assistant Coach in 2014 before being appointed Head Coach in 2017. He then joined Warwickshire as Batting Coach ahead of the 2025 season.

Read on for the transcript, and look further down the page for a link to the full interview on our YouTube channel.

Matt, welcome to Sussex! It feels a while back that you were announced as Head Coach but, now that you're here, how excited are you to finally get started?

Yeah! I suppose day one, it's nice to be in the building now and getting acclimatised to everything and everyone. I've been down a bit since October, so been in and out and caught up with some people.

But I think my initial feeling is that I feel very at home, very quickly. Everyone I've met. Obviously the players, I've known some longer than others, but still getting to know them and meeting them for the first time in some cases. And obviously most of the office staff have made me feel extremely welcome. And it's funny, it feels like I've been here for quite a while already. Feels like home, which is a good thing. 

I mean, really excited from when I agreed to come. Obviously, that was a while back and had the season to finish off with Warwickshire, which was my prior focus, but it was always sort of in the background what was happening in the future. So now it's here and now I'm here, it feels real and feels very normal and really, really looking forward to getting going.

• Watch Walker's first interview as Head Coach free on our YouTube channel.

As a Head Coach, you've had a long and successful stint in your home county of Kent. Since then, you've been a batting coach at Warwickshire, as well as other coaching roles with England and MI London. But how do you view the opportunity to get back to being in a Head Coach role here at Sussex? 

Well, I suppose when the offer came from Paul [Farbrace], that was the question I asked myself primarily: 'do I want to be a head coach again?' And some other opportunities had come up, or some job offers had come up elsewhere.

And they didn't feel necessarily the right move for me. So, it was the first question I had to ask myself, 'do I want to be a Head Coach again?' And that answer was yes. And I suppose the underlying questions I asked myself why I said yes was all to do with the club and the people here, the opportunity that presents itself around the players, the potential of the group, how well they've done this year and the potential for them to take it on even further. And obviously, what had happened in the season as well. 

So, it was understandably going to be a challenge, but something that didn't bother me or didn't worry me. But I loved my eight years at Kent. It was a tough end and eight years was way too long. But it just so happened it was that length of stay. But primarily I loved it and I really found myself very quickly realising it's a job that I really appreciate and really love doing.

And obviously, then, coming out of that and doing a support role for two years is very different and I suppose re-energised me a little bit. And some of the responsibilities that you don't have was a benefit to me. And I think it just gives you that sort of, that kind of energy back into your coaching and getting back into the real gritty, nitty gritty of it, which you don't always get as a Head Coach.

So, it sort of revitalised me. But I think now the opportunity to do it again, you don't get the opportunity that often to come and be a Head Coach, certainly at a club like Sussex. So, it was a no-brainer. And I'm really excited about everything that comes with this job. It's always about the players, but beyond that, working with the wider support staff and the office staff and everyone at the club and really getting stuck into everything that comes with this job. 

You mentioned the challenge last year at Sussex. It's not a huge secret that Sussex have had to make cuts to the playing squad. As we sit here now, how do you view the squad you have at your disposal across all formats? And are you expecting to make any more additions? 

Well, it's a smaller squad, obviously, which can present issues when you get into the midst of summer with everything that happens. We know injuries do occur and things can happen, which makes life difficult for a squad.

But sometimes it can be of a benefit. I think when you have a smaller squad, players feel a bit closer to the opportunity of playing in the first team. I think you can feel sometimes a little lost in the second team if you feel a long way away from it with a big squad.

So it creates a tightness, I think, in the group. Everyone will feel, I hope, that they have a part to play and they will need to feel like that because that 18 or 17-18 that we have will need to be ready and we will need to use them. So I think it creates certainly a bit more excitement around opportunity.

But overall, I'm really excited about the talent of the group. There are some experienced players and some really talented young players that I think have already jumped into those opportunities that presented themselves. And this year they'll be the same. There'll be gaps to fill, there'll be opportunity, there'll be gaps that have been left by others that now need to be filled. And I think sometimes you see players really rise to that excitement and that opportunity and we'll find out. I think that's the exciting thing for everybody is that we don't know what's going to happen next year.

We know what we want to happen but it can really raise the level of performance when all of a sudden, you're a tighter group, you're a small group, everyone's pulling together a bit harder than maybe when you have a wider group of squads. So this is why I'm here. I've looked at lots of reasons why you come to a club but ultimately, it's the people and the players that you have and I'm really excited about what I'm going to be working with.

So, looking ahead to 2027, have you set yourself any goals for each format next year?

I don't really like talking about goals in terms of position or where we want to end up. Ultimately, and every coach will probably sit here and say this time of year or leading up to the start of the season, we want to win everything. We want to win every game of cricket, of course you do.

And I think as long as when we cross the white line there's a side that is competitive, that works extremely hard for each other, that understands what is required and puts effort in, meets the standards and expectations that I have as a coach, as they have as a group, that's all I can ask for. I think it's dangerous to predict or have strong goals in terms of position and winning this, that or the other. What do we prioritise ourselves? I think my priority is making sure this group are ready to compete in every game of cricket they play.

I think it's exciting in that anything could happen. This group showed last year that they can come together and they can punch above their weight really hard and beat good sides. They weren't a million miles away from winning the Championship. We have lost some key players for sure but this is a great opportunity for people to step up and take the opportunity to take this club on even further. I think if we keep a healthy squad together, keep that culture strong - it seems like there's already a brilliant environment here. People want to win, people want to get better.

I think we've seen development of players for a number of years here that have gone on to play for England or been around it. We've got some experience, we've got a great blend here. I think anything's possible and that's the exciting part. I think there's possibly less expectation on the club this year and the amount of players that have left the club. That's irrelevant to me. I'm working with a group of players that want to win.

I want to win. It's not always just about that. I can't just judge it on that. I will be judged on that and the players will be judged on wins and losses. There's more to it from my point of view around player development and the small wins along the way. I think we've got a group here that can be really competitive.

Without ignoring the elephant in the room, the initial plan was for Paul Farbrace to continue as director of cricket here. How does his move to Lancashire affect things from your point of view? 

I've known Paul for a very long time. We go back a long, long time. I actually played against him in one of my first second-team games. He was still going. He looked after me when I was closing on 100. He was behind the stumps for Middlesex and taught me through it. We go back a long way and we've had some working relationships in the past. That was one of the reasons I was looking forward to coming here and working with Paul.

But this is sport, this is cricket. Things happen, things change. I'm not sure this was on anybody's radar and probably not Paul's until recently.

It was an opportunity that he couldn't turn down. I wish him all the best with that move. If you've been in the sport a long time, you're very aware things happen, sometimes when you least expect them to.

We move on and you just have to look forward. I like to think that role will be filled at some stage. I think it's important to have someone in a Director of Cricket role, which will allow me to really focus on being a Head Coach and getting the best out of my coaching staff and the players.

That's hopefully down the line pretty soon. As I say, when you've seen a lot in cricket, you're aware that things can change pretty quickly. It's just about making sure everyone feels that they're going to have the support here in the meantime and give the guys the confidence that everything's under control.

At the moment, there's not a lot to really sort of sort out too much that hasn't been already put in place by Paul and the team. We're under control and hopefully by the start of the season, if not before, we'll have a DOC in place. 

With Grant Flower and James Coatley also leaving their positions in the coaching staff, who will make up the new backroom team going forward? 

That's a good question. At the moment, myself and Ash Wright will be on the coaching front. We're looking for a bowling coach. That's fair to say. We're in the process of going down that route. Those two have been here a long time and have done a great job. Now's the opportunity to have a fresh start and it presents itself that it will look slightly different.

Obviously, the part of the restrictions that are going to make the coaching staff is going to be quite small. Between the three of us, Keith Greenfield, the second team and academy, we've got good people around and I think we'll be able to make that work. Definitely by the start of the season, hopefully in January, we'll have a bowling coach.

It's an important role. I think we've got a great crop here. It's important that we get the right person in to take this group forward.

Sussex have a proud history of developing exciting young cricketers. How exciting is it to work with the emerging talent at this club? And are there any particular areas of the squad you're looking forward to develop further?

I don't think there's a particular area. I think it's widespread. I think you can go, I mean, not just the young players either. I think it can surprise you who you end up enjoying working with the most, if you can say that. It can come from any area.

Someone like Hainsey [Tom Haines], who's been around a long time. I spent a bit of time with him a couple of years ago. Struck up quite a nice bond very quickly.

They're the sort of players that give you just as much thrill seeing get better and succeeding, getting to where they want to get to, as it would be a young player in their first couple of years. I think the talent is there, and that is for everyone to see. Everyone knows that.

I think Charlie Tear obviously is a great example of a young player who took an opportunity last year, who looks a very exciting prospect. So, a player like that starting his journey, there's so much more you feel there's to give those guys. But they can equally surprise you as well, the young players.

They can develop much quicker than you think sometimes. So it would be unfair to say there's one person or an area in particular that I'm most excited about.

I think it's completely across the board, and that's not a diplomatic answer, because it is the case. From the batting group to the bowling group to a couple of young spinners coming through the system, there's so much to look forward to. So it's making sure those guys are fulfilling their aspirations at this club, and hopefully we can supply that in terms of the coaching staff around and the wider support group, and seeing everybody get better and reach where they want to get to.

If you had to leave a message for Sussex supporters ahead of your tenure here, what would that message be?

Come and support us, as you always have done. It's one of the strong reasons I've come to this club. I've played here a lot over the years.

Hove has always been a regular on my calendar, bearing in mind the geography of playing at Kemt for so long. Certainly a lot of second team cricket here growing up, and always seem to be in the same division for many, many years. Lots of parts of this club that I admire, but I've always been very aware of the support.

The fan base has always been extremely strong here, loyal supporters. It's always been quite a tough place to come and play, actually. You feel like they're on your back, and I just urge to come and help us through another year.

I think the support they've shown over the years has been outstanding. We'll try and make you proud as we can, and we'll make sure that we'll be as competitive as we can. We'll do all we can to put smiles on your faces.

I look forward to seeing you, meeting you. Maybe not all of you at the same time, but I look forward to a successful season for everyone.