England appoint former opener Marcus Trescothick as batting coach; Jon Lewis, Jeetan Patel get full-time roles

London: England on Monday appointed former opener Marcus Trescothick as the new batting coach of the national team, besides roping in Jon Lewis and New Zealand’s Jeetan Patel as bowling and spin bowling coaches on permanent basis. These three are part of the four new appointments to England’s coaching set-up, which is being headed by chief coach Chris Silverwood. The team is currently touring India and is down 1-2 in a four-match Test series. Trescothick will take over from Jonathan Trott, who replaced South African Jacques Kallis in the ongoing tour. Kallis had played the role of a batting consultant for England in Sri Lanka. “…I’m really excited about the calibre of the individuals that we’ve appointed into these specialist roles. Marcus, Jon and Jeetan have demonstrated their ability at the highest level and also show huge potential for the future,” England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) performance director Mo Bobat said in a statement. Trescothick, who scored over 10,000 international runs across formats between 2000 and 2006, is expected to take up his new role in mid-March after stepping down from his position as assistant coach at Somerset.

After three decades with his home County, Marcus Trescothick will leave Somerset next month to take up a new role with the ECB#WeAreSomerset

— Somerset Cricket 🏆 (@SomersetCCC) March 1, 2021

“Working alongside Carl Hopkinson, our current Elite Fielding Coach, we have the makings of a strong specialist coaching team, possessing a diverse range of experience,” Bobat said. Besides, Richard Dawson will leave his role as Gloucestershire head coach to become England’s elite pathway coach. Current Young Lions head coach and former Gloucestershire seamer Lewis has been promoted to the role of pace bowling coach in a permanent capacity. New Zealand spinner Patel, who is currently working as a consultant, has agreed to a permanent position as spin-bowling coach after a number of short-term stints with the England team. “The Elite Coaches will play an important role in enhancing this depth further, helping us to sustain success over time. We want to be renowned and respected for the quality of our coaching,” Bobat said. Besides taking care of the national team, the new appointees will also be responsible for unearthing new talent from the domestic circuit. “Working in conjunction with counties, they will have responsibility for developing and preparing current and next-in-line England players whilst also adding value to our England and Lions environments. “In addition, they will support the development of our best Under-19 players through our Young Lions programme,” sad Bobat. The ECB further stated that the three roles were subject to a rigorous recruitment process. As part of the move, Jon Lewis will vacate his role as Young Lions Head Coach. Dawson will take charge of his new role in mid-April. Speaking about the changes, Bobat added: “Jon has done a fantastic job leading our Young Lions programme and England U-19 team over the last couple of years. His change of role has provided the opportunity to look at that position with fresh eyes. “Given the strength of applicants that we’ve had through the recruitment process, and the need for us to have an adaptable coaching workforce, I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve been able to appoint Richard Dawson as our Elite Pathway Coach,” he said.