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The Scorchers coach also lashed out at Cricket Australia for releasing D’Arcy Short, Travis Head and Alex Carey from the national team squad to play in Sunday’s BBL final

Daniel Brettig04-Feb-2018Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer has attacked critics of the Big Bash League club’s list management, saying his efforts to keep a strong West Australian group together over time were justified by the development of the players. Langer also lashed out at Cricket Australia for releasing D’Arcy Short, Travis Head and Alex Carey from the national team squad to play in Sunday’s BBL final.Responding to accusations of contract “bundling”, whereby players receive generous state contracts to counterbalance lesser payments within the BBL salary cap, Langer said the performances of players such as Andrew Tye should mean Western Australia and the Scorchers should not be questioned as to whether they were flouting CA’s regulations, which outlaw states from offering any “inducement” for players to choose a particular BBL club.”Give me one example and then we can talk about every single one of these practices of bundling contracts,” Langer told when questioned about the Scorchers’ contracting. “It’s tougher, to be fair, for the states with two teams, but they also have huge populations. So they’ve got the opportunity to do what we do.”Let’s use AJ Tye [for example]. The same AJ Tye we took off the scrapheap of club cricket about six years ago, the same guy who went to Sydney Thunder, didn’t like it and wanted to come home, who loves Perth and Western Australia, who just got $1.5m in the IPL auction, who just took five wickets because he’s improved in our programme. If we’re doing the wrong thing by that, I’ll cut my leg off. It’s unbelievable.”We had 21 guys play for us in 10 games this year which is extraordinary, and five or six of them are young Western Australia kids. We didn’t have Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff or the Marsh brothers play the whole series for us. We do proudly want our guys to stay but along the way we lose D’Arcy Short and Marcus Harris, and Bradley Hogg and Craig Simmons and Mike Hussey because we can’t afford to keep them. That’s the truth. We’re really fair on our players. All this dialogue I’ve been hearing this series, I guarantee now we’ve lost the semi-final, no-one will talk about it again.”ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that the Scorchers are not under investigation by CA for their contracting practices, despite queries being raised with the governing body by at least two other BBL clubs and public questions being asked by the likes of Brad Hodge and Dirk Nannes. At the same time, Langer denied he had pressured members of the WA state squad to stay with the Scorchers, saying “they’re all big boys” with managers to negotiate on their behalf.Langer said that any players who chose to stay in WA rather than taking bigger contracts with other BBL teams in the eastern states did so because they loved playing for the Scorchers and staying in their home state. He also said that the club had benefited from hard work done over the past five years – since Langer became state and BBL coach in 2012-13 – to foster a culture that players wanted to be a part of, irrespective of how much they were paid.Getty Images

“So D’Arcy Short’s left, Marcus Harris has left. Mike Hussey and Brad Hogg, who are two of my best mates, they left. Craig Simmons left. What, so I’m coercing players? Give me a break,” Langer said. “If they don’t want to stay – every professional has a manager these days, they’re all big boys – if they don’t want to stay, they can go. If they want to stay because they love being here and they love the WACA family, and we win a lot, so why wouldn’t they want to stay here?”The problem is you’ve got to work really hard to do that [create a winning culture]. But it’s easy to point fingers and say ‘they must be cheating’ or ‘JL must be coercing players’. Are you joking? All winter when our coaches are in the cold WACA indoor centre, keeping an eye on our Under-17 and Under-19s kids, no-one’s telling us then we’re coercing them to stay.”Or we’re keeping an eye on our whole programme, we’re watching club cricket all day – that’s the hard part of it, to develop this culture. But let’s not worry about doing all of that, that’s too hard, let’s just point our fingers and say they’re doing the wrong thing. Give me a break.”On the subject of CA’s decision to release Short, Carey and Head for the tournament final, Langer said he was disappointed by the inconsistency after his team was unable to pick Tye or Ashton Agar for the semi-final. He also claimed that the decision contravened MoU discussions during last year’s fractious pay dispute where players were ruled out of playing T20 matches on consecutive days. Carey and Short will both play in Adelaide on Sunday after playing for Australia in Sydney on Saturday night.”What I don’t like is the inconsistency, I find it phenomenal really,” Langer said. “We were told at the start of the Big Bash that none of the players who were in the Australian team would play the Big Bash and now all of a sudden they are. There’s no doubt the scheduling’s an issue and we’d like to see our best players, but we also know at the start of the season that Australian international cricket takes priority.”I’m not pumped about the inconsistency of it, I sort of get it, but there were all of the arguments that went on about the MoU and we didn’t enjoy some of that dialogue that they don’t play the next day and all that sort of stuff. I’d just like to see things consistent, that’s all. We would’ve loved to have Ashton Agar and AJ Tye playing for us the other night and now al of a sudden that changes. Even if D’Arcy Short played, I’m happy with that because I never worry too much about the opposition, I worry about us”That’s where it’s difficult for me, one of the hardest things about the Big Bash competition is trying to forecast and contract who you might have and who you might not have because of international commitments, and we all do that. That’s where list management is so crucial, and so to change what we understand, that’s pretty disappointing.”

The ECB has declined a request from the BCB to include a reserve day for the third ODI in Chittagong, a spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo

Mohammad Isam11-Oct-20161:09

‘Very un-cricketing weather in Chittagong’

The ECB has declined a request from the BCB to include a reserve day for the third ODI in Chittagong, a spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. The offer was made due to the inclement weather conditions which are threatening a washout of the series decider.On Monday, 30mm of rain was recorded in the port city which is experiencing unseasonal rain. Tuesday also saw plenty of rain, and the drizzle continued in the evening. Both teams were forced indoor for training while the ground was mostly under covers. The forecast for Wednesday isn’t encouraging but there is chance of rain abating after 4pm which could offer a shortened game.The ECB said that they did consider the request but the nature of the tour didn’t allow them the last-minute change. The trip has been subject to unprecedented levels of security planning following the July terror attacks – with multiple agencies working together to create a bubble around the teams – while the schedule is also very condensed with England’s Test warm-up matches starting on Friday.”The ECB were asked today whether it would be possible to schedule a rain day – we did consider the request. At this late stage, and on a compact tour, it is sadly not possible,” said the ECB spokesman. “The majority of our one-day players return to the UK on Thursday and the Test players are already preparing for upcoming Tests next week. We would clearly love to conclude the series and hope to get the game in tomorrow.”The BCB’s cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan said that they put forward the offer because of the weather. “We asked if they would want to have the reserve day but they said no,” said Akram.

While this T20 series victory will be savoured it is still just the beginning. The bulk of the tour’s cricket is yet to be played and the challenges will only get bigger.

Firdose Moonda08-Oct-20151:32

‘I still have much to contribute’ – Duminy

In a strange way, perhaps there is something positive that can be taken out of the wash-out at Kolkata for South Africa. Although they are disappointed that they did not have the opportunity to play at the iconic venue, South Africa had plenty of time to process their position heading into the game and don’t want to get ahead of themselves despite the early success on tour.”We have only played two days of cricket and there’s 25 days of cricket left. We shouldn’t get too cocky and confident on what has happened as we India are a very quality side,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said.While this T20 series victory will be savoured – because as Faf du Plessis explained in his post-match press conference, “It is really important to acknowledge how hard it is to come to India and to win any series,” – it is still just the beginning. The bulk of the tour’s cricket is yet to be played and the challenges will only get bigger. Already, Domingo, who is on his first trip to India, has found some elements overwhelming.”There’s lots of media, lots of questions,” he said when asked what makes India a particularly difficult place to tour. “The crowd support is immense, the passion for the game, the constant scrutiny from the media and public. So dealing with the all the noise, I’m not talking about the crowd noise alone but even the media noise. I put on the TV and the only thing I’m watching is the highlights of the game and constant analysis. Keeping our focus amidst all this noise is what is main goal.”South Africa have a mixed record on the field when it comes to dealing with such intensity. In limited-overs cricket, too much pressure has often undone them, especially in major tournaments. In Test cricket, it has brought out the best in them, especially recently. Slowly, they are starting to move away from the former, with more solid showings under stress in shorter formats as they set themselves them up for what they hope will be an eventual shedding of the chokers’ tag.Their performances so far will give them reason to believe they can, especially after the first game. South Africa came back from what seemed a lost cause in the chase to complete it successfully with some of their lesser lights – JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien – finishing the job. “The first one was a big one for us… 200 was a stiff target and chasing that gave us a lot of confidence going into the second T20,” Duminy said.In the second match, South Africa put right what they did wrong in the first. “We knew going into the second game that we needed to improve as a bowling unit. That was a big plus for us, the way we bowled, the discipline we showed within our bowling department,” Duminy said. “That is going to be a big tick for us in the T20 format. With the results that we have got here now, will give us a lot of confidence going into the T20 series against England and Australia and obviously the World T20 coming in a few months.”Before that, South Africa have this tour to concentrate on and they still have nine more matches to play. That equals 25 days of cricket and almost double that number traveling, practicing and being together. That’s a lot of time to rack up more good results or to drive each other mad but on the evidence of their first few days, there could be more of the former and almost none of the latter.”We enjoy each other’s company. It doesn’t matter which part of the world we are in. There are not too many arguments going on in the team room. We find ways of enjoying ourselves in a long tour,” Duminy said. “That is important for us especially when you are coming to a place where there is not a lot to do outside the hotel and you are coming to a place for such a long period of time. It can get you down at times so it is important that we gel as a unit and gel as a team.”We have got a great camaraderie within the team and everybody plays for one another. Everybody wants each other to do well and we enjoy each others’ successes. That is an important component for a successful team.” So far, so good.

Leicestershire have signed Australia batsman Joe Burns as an overseas player for part of the 2013 county season

George Dobell07-Mar-2013Leicestershire have signed Australia batsman Joe Burns as an overseas player for part of the 2013 county season. Burns will stand in for Ramnaresh Sarwan once the latter leaves for international duty with West Indies.Burns, 23, scored 145 runs, including a century, for Australia A against the touring England Lions in February. He was voted the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year by his fellow Australian players for his achievements in the 2012-13 season. All cricketers who have won the award since its inception in 2000 have gone on to represent Australia in at least one format. While Burns has yet to play international cricket, he can gain a work permit through a UK passport. He appeared briefly for Sussex second XI in 2010.Sarwan is expected to play the first five and last four Championship games of the season, leaving Burns to cover the middle of the campaign and the FLt20 competition. He will arrive on May 15 and leave on August 30 and his spell will comprise seven county championship games, the whole of the FLt20 competition and 11 CB40 matches.”I’ve heard great things about the club’s set-up and players and I am very motivated
with the ambition of promotion in the county championship,” Burns said. “I’m looking forward to joining up with the team in May and contributing to a successful and enjoyable
season.””We are delighted to have signed the up-and-coming batsman Joe Burns,” Leicestershire’s chief executive, Mike Siddall, said: “We are hoping he will have a similar impact at Grace Road as previous Australian overseas players, Brad Hodge and Michael Bevan. Joe is on the fringes of the Australian team and will be keen to impress during an Ashes year in England.”Leicestershire are expected to add another overseas player for the FLt20, with Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan believed to be a frontrunner for the role.

Full coverage of former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns’ libel suit against former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2012January 7, 2010
News – Chris Cairns to sue Lalit Modi
March 23, 2010
News – Distressed by Modi’s claims – Cairns
March 5, 2012
News – Accusation reduced my career to dust – Cairns
March 6, 2012
News – Cairns’ former team-mates allege fixing demands
March 7, 2012
News – Rumours made Cairns ‘barking’ angry
March 7, 2012
News – ICL officials had their own ‘agenda’March 8, 2012
News – Cairns fixing investigation ‘shambolic’ – Beer
March 9, 2012
News – Cairns’ fury as Modi fails to give evidence
March 12, 2012
News – Players stand by Cairns accusations
March 14, 2012
News – Judge refuses late witness for Modi
March 16, 2012
News – Cairns a ‘scapegoat’ court hears
March 26, 2012
News – Cairns wins libel case against Modi

Damien Wright, the Victoria fast bowler, has announced his retirement from Australian first-class cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2011Damien Wright, the Victoria fast bowler, has announced his retirement from Australian first-class cricket. Wright was part of the Australian first-class circuit for 15 years since his debut for Tasmania in 1997-98. He’s been part of three of the last four Sheffield Shield-winning teams, for Tasmania in 2006-07 and twice for Victoria, where he moved to in 2008-09. He joined Worcestershire in January this year and will be part of their domestic season starting April.”I guess I wanted to go out on my own terms whilst feeling satisfied and happy,” said Wright, who picked up 375 wickets in 116 first-class games. Victoria’s final Sheffield Shield game of the season, against Queensland, was also his last. “When our match against Queensland finished, I realised it was my time and the right moment for me to go out. I’ve been really lucky to be a part of several titles and achieve what I have during my career; it’s been an amazing journey and a ride I’ve really enjoyed.”Wright said he was grateful to Greg Shipperd, his coach at Tasmania and Victoria, for his mentoring. “I’ve been very lucky to have Shippy as a coach throughout my career in both Tasmania and now in Victoria,” Wright said. “He’s provided me with many opportunities, he started my first-class career off and now ironically I’ll finish it under him. I’m extremely fortunate to have him as a mentor – he is someone who has played a huge role in my career and I thank him for that.”Apart from his skills as a pace bowler, Wright was also an effective batsman in the lower order. He averaged 24.08 with the bat and among his all-round highlights was his performance for Tasmania in their Sheffield Shield win in 2006-7, where he claimed eight wickets and contributed 67 and 47 with the bat in the final. In 2009-10, he overcame injury after missing Victoria’s first five games to play a significant role with the ball in his team’s eventual success.He’s also Victoria’s bowling coach and hopes to continue that role.

On the eve of the opening clash against Deccan Chargers, Sourav Ganguly made his point straightaway that the best way to progress is by “executing” and not wasting time “planning

N Hunter11-Mar-2010On the eve of the opening clash against Deccan Chargers, Sourav Ganguly made his point straightaway that the best way to progress is by “executing” and not wasting time “planning.” The Kolkata Knight Riders captain felt there was no point dissecting the past, and the better alternative was to go out and play. It was trademark Ganguly – he did not spell out his enemy, but he made his point, subtly, leaving no doubts in anyone’s mind as to what he was referring to.Ganguly, along with the new coach Dav Whatmore and the entire Kolkata management have been working hard on an entirely new platform, which from the outset has been more transparent and importantly, simpler, compared to the Sudoku grid John Buchanan had asked the squad to solve in order to excel in Twenty20 cricket. Ganguly hasn’t forgotten the confusion and controversy that was created in the first two years of the IPL, but as the team’s seniormost player, he understands he cannot afford to create any further haze when his primary job is to lead the team in the right direction.”One needs to plan, especially when you are on the park. But I believe in execution. I don’t believe in too many ideas or team meetings,” Ganguly said, with a stern face, after a two-hour long training session at the Bandra-Kurla Complex ground. “I believe planning is 10% and execution 90%.”So batsmen played with straight, slanting and even upside-down bats as Whatmore offered them the freedom and space to understand what they were doing. At the other end, Wasim Akram mentored the bowlers including Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Mashrafe Mortaza and Jaydev Unadkat, the Under-19 bowler. Clearly, there was a sea change in the way the training session went about in the past.In the first two years, various coaches would be spotted, busy noting down various things, just like a nurse records a patient’s heartbeat, pulse etc. The paraphernalia was conspicuously absent today, replaced by more word-of-mouth signals, creating a different kind of buzz.”I would like to leave the player to play to his strengths. That’s how everybody has played and been successful. Maybe you can just tell them the amount of runs needed on the board or what has to be chased,” Ganguly said. “Other than that, if I keep changing (the player’s style) at this minute, it’s not going to help.”While the majority of the teams managed to devise the right processes, along with the right combinations in the first two years of the IPL, Kolkata were affected by a lack of clarity. As a consequence they have underperformed in first two editions. Still, there is hope. Ask Adam Gilchrist, the Deccan Chargers captain, who said he could relate to his opponent’s circumstances as he had been in the same spot that Kolkata now find themselves in: bottom of the barrel.”I know that feeling. I’ve started the tournament like that before,” Gilchrist said, denying the opening clash of the IPL tomorrow was a mismatch considering Deccan, the defending champions, are playing last year’s wooden-spoon holders. “I don’t think you can take it for granted that there are any mismatches in the tournament. Everyone starts afresh.”Ganguly has been stressing the same in his interactions with the squad, out in the open and behind closed doors. It is now up to the players to go out and express themselves.

Group B is the group of death, and whoever loses on Saturday will ride a treacherous road to Super Four qualification

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Sep-20252:32

Jaffer: Bangladesh favourites over SL

Big picture

So far in the Asia Cup, things have gone roughly as expected. India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have all registered comfortable victories, and Pakistan have also avoided an early banana peel. But Saturday brings up a more even clash. Over the last few years, T20 matches between these teams have sometimes been explosive, but although the heat of the rivalry has died down a little, it is also clear that these are well-matched teams in this format. Over the last 10 years, Sri Lanka have won eight of their 16 encounters, and Bangladesh eight.Related

• Asalanka: We are T20 Asia Cup defending champions

• Hasaranga fit for Sri Lanka's Asia Cup campaign

• Why are Sri Lanka and Bangladesh so poor at T20I batting?

• Hridoy hits back at critics as Bangladesh opt for safety over speed

More recently Bangladesh have had the better run, winning 2-1 in Sri Lanka in July, having also beaten Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup last year in Dallas. In those matches, Bangladesh’s bowlers tended to strike early, and find wickets regularly. Sri Lanka hope their batting order is in a better place now. But it was less than two weeks ago that they collapsed to 80 all out against Zimbabwe.Bangladesh also have the advantage of having played a match at this venue already. Their crushing of Hong Kong on Thursday was a largely complete performance, with the seamers getting wickets and the top order unfussily taking the team home in a modest chase. There were also wickets for legspinner Rishad Hossain, who was excellent against Sri Lanka in their most recent series, going at only 5.47 an over in his 12 overs across three matches.This being the group of death – Afghanistan are the other top-10 team vying for a Super Four spot – whichever team loses here will ride a treacherous road to qualification.Wanindu Hasaranga is set to return after missing the tour of Zimbabwe with a hamstring injury•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

Bangladesh: WWWLW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WLWLL

In the spotlight: Litton Das and Pathum Nissanka

Bangladesh captain Litton Das needs 56 more runs to become Bangladesh’s most prolific T20I batter. He is clearly one of Bangladesh’s key T20I batters at the moment, having hit 476 runs this year at a strike rate of 137.17. He also top-scored for Bangladesh in that series in Sri Lanka. Given his experience, he is the Bangladesh batter that will worry Sri Lanka’s bowlers the most.Pathum Nissanka is having a fine T20I year himself, having made 230 runs at a strike rate of 147.43 in 2025. That Sri Lanka have been a significantly improved team in the powerplay is down partly to Nissanka’s improvements. He has opened up new parts of his game, and has become particularly severe on errors of length. In Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka lost the only match in which he didn’t get to 30.

Pitch and conditions

The Abu Dhabi pitch tends to be batting-friendly, though occasionally it will have something for the slower bowlers as well. Rain is not forecast on Saturday.2:05

Jaffer: Hasaranga’s return big boost for SL

Team news: Hasaranga set to return

Bangladesh will likely keep the same XI that beat Hong Kong. That means they will likely play three frontline seamers.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Pervez Hossain Emon, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said Wanindu Hasaranga should be available to play on Saturday, after Hasaranga had missed the Zimbabwe series with a hamstring injury. He also suggested Sri Lanka could go in with three frontline seam options. If fit, Dushmantha Chameers seems a certainty, with Asalanka stating that Nuwan Thushara would also play. Binura Fernando may just have the edge over Matheesha Pathirana for the last spot.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Binura Fernando, 11 Nuwan Thushara.

Stats and trivia

• Pathum Nissanka needs 50 more runs to complete a tally of 2000 in T20Is. He has played only 67 innings, which means he has eight innings in which to get those 50 runs and become the fastest Sri Lanka men’s batter to the milestone. Kusal Perera got there in his 76th innings.
• Litton Das has not been dismissed for less than 50 in his last four T20I innings, making 54*, 18*, 73, and 59, against Netherlands and Hong Kong.
• Even just in Asia Cups, these teams’ record is pretty even. Bangladesh won the first T20I Asia Cup match between them, in Mirpur in 2016. Sri Lanka won the next one, in Dubai in 2022.

Quotes

“It’s more of a rivalry for the fans. For us as players it’s just good challenging competition.”
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka on the rivalry between these teams

Former NSW skipper Sangha moves to South Australia to reignite his career while Harvey moves from Victoria having not played any state cricket since 2022

Alex Malcolm18-Apr-2024Jason Sangha and Mackenzie Harvey are hoping to reignite their domestic careers after signing with South Australia.Sangha, 24, has made the shift from New South Wales after his career had stalled last season playing just five Sheffield Shield matches and five Marsh Cup games. He did not play any matches for NSW in the second half of the season following the BBL. He averaged just 19.12 in eight Shield innings last year with one half-century and has not made a Shield century since scoring 142 against South Australia in Adelaide in March 2022 when he was stand-in NSW captain. He averages 26.95 in 64 innings across his Shield career with three centuries.It is understood Sangha is also likely to join Adelaide Strikers in the BBL after playing just two matches for Sydney Thunder last year having previously been captain of the club.Harvey, 23, was not contracted last summer having lost his deal with Victoria at the end of the previous season. The left-hander has not played any Shield cricket and played the last of his 13 Marsh Cup matches in 2022. But he is coming off his best season in grade cricket having started the season playing in Queensland’s Premier Cricket competition scoring three centuries for Sunshine Coast before returning to Victoria to help his Victoria Premier team Carlton win the first grade premiership, making 140 in the semi-final.Related

• Kuhnemann joins Tasmania to push for a Test return

• Kuhnemann leaves Queensland, Burns not offered a contract

• Under-19 World Cup trio Konstas, Hicks and Anderson earn NSW contracts

• Philippe and Maddinson make move to New South Wales

• McSweeney's leadership climb continues with South Australia captaincy

South Australia is going through a significant transition period both on and off the field with coach Jason Gillespie and High Performance manager Tim Nielsen both leaving their roles recently. Former Australia quick Ryan Harris has become the interim head coach and he said Sangha and Harvey had been recruited to add depth to the state’s struggling batting stocks.”After the 2023/24 season, we identified the need to improve our batting stocks and we have done just that with the recruitment of Jason and Mackenzie,” Harris said.”Only in their early 20s, both players bring a lot of potential and upside to the list and we are excited to see what they can do.”We look forward to welcoming Jason and Mackenzie to South Australia later this year.”South Australia has also named Nathan McSweeney as their new men’s skipper after a stellar season, having long been identified by Australia’s selectors as a leader of promise after captaining Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI.Elsewhere, Tasmania has re-signed batter Charlie Wakim on a two-year deal following an excellent Shield campaign and also added him to Hobart Hurricanes BBL squad on a one-year contract after playing one game for Brisbane Heat last season.South Australia contract list 2024-25 Wes Agar, Kyle Brazell (rookie), Jordan Buckingham, Aidan Cahill (rookie), Alex Carey (CA contract), Harry Conway, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Travis Head (CA), Henry Hunt, Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Jake Lehmann, Harry Matthias (rookie), Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Conor McInerney, Nathan McSweeney, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Campbell Thompson (rookie), Henry Thornton

Durham stalwart takes over role left vacant when Jon Lewis became England Women’s head coach

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Jan-2023The ECB has appointed Neil Killeen as England men’s elite fast bowling coach.Killeen, 47, ends a 30-year association with his home county, Durham, to take the role which has been vacant since November when Jon Lewis was appointed head coach of the England Women’s team. From January 18, Killeen will work across the England men’s pathway programmes, focusing on developing and preparing the next generation and those next-in-line.The appointment is in keeping with Killeen’s progression with the international set-up during 2022. He was bowling coach on England’s ODI tour of the Netherlands at the start of last summer, working alongside newly appointed white-ball coach Matthew Mott, and was in charge of the quicks during the England Lions’ training camp in November. That month saw him work with Test regulars James Anderson and Ollie Robinson ahead of the tour to Pakistan, along with Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood who were recovering from injury. He has also undertaken secondments with England Under-19s.Killeen also spent the end of the 2022 season as Durham’s stand-in head coach after James Franklin left his contract in September with three rounds of the County Championship before Ryan Campbell was appointed as a full-time replacement. Killeen was understood to be under consideration for the role.Related

• England bring in Mark Alleyne, Neil Killeen as part of coaching team for Netherlands tour

• Jon Lewis named England Women head coach

• Jon Lewis: 'You don't coach gender, you coach people'

He leaves Chester-le-Street having made more than 350 appearances for the club, winning the Friends Provident Trophy in 2007 and remains Durham’s leading wicket-taker in List A cricket. He moved straight into coaching following retirement after the 2010 season, working with the second team before assuming roles as assistant lead and head bowling coach. Killeen is credited with playing a key role in the development of Durham talent, including Test captain Ben Stokes and fellow internationals Mark Wood, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse.”I’m delighted to be appointed Elite Pace Bowling Coach with the ECB and can’t wait to get started with a new challenge,” said Killeen. “It’s an exciting time to be joining the ECB, as there is a wealth of fast-bowling talent and coaching around the country that I’m looking forward to working with in order to maintain England’s strong contingent of pace bowlers in the future.”I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone at Durham for the continued support both as a player and a coach over the last 30 years, it has been a great journey. A big thank you also to all the members for their continued support throughout my career. I look forward to returning and watching alongside them in the future. It has been an honour to represent the club and I would like to wish them continued success for the future.”