Northamptonshire director of cricket Kepler Wessells has parted company with the Division Two club. Wessells joined the club in 2003 and had plenty of initial success but the club admitted tensions had "run high" during a difficult season this year.
Northants chief executive Mark Tagg told BBC Sport: "He had signed a contract up until 2007 but has left the club by mutual consent.
"We will make an announcement on his successor in due course."
Local media in Northampton had reported Wessells was considering leaving the club this week having failed to get the resources he needed to rebuild.
Northamptonshire were playing Essex at their home ground at Wantage Road on the third day of a Championship match when it became known Wessells had left.
The club are currently bottom of Division Two.
They had been crestfallen by their loss in the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 Cup, which they viewed as a rare chance of winning some silverware.
A poor run of results had led to frustrations for the director of cricket
Northants statement
A statement on the Northants website read: "Kepler joined the county in 2003 and in his first season got promotion to Division One of the County Championship and the National Cricket League.
"In the years following the club has been forced to tighten its belt and reduce the size of the budget available for squad development.
"Despite this difficulty the team has maintained its Division One status in the National Cricket League and has figured prominently in the Twenty20 Cup.
"However 2006 has been a difficult season.
"A poor run of results had led to frustrations for the director of cricket, the dressing-room and the club and inevitably tensions run high in these situations.
"Kepler feels that he has now taken the club as far as he thinks possible and we have amicably parted company at this time."
As a player, Wessells had enjoyed the rare distinction of playing Test cricket for two counties, Australia and South Africa.
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