Simons, Foster Join England Men’s Red-ball Team Under Fleming; McCullum Retains White-ball Setup

Simons, Foster join England men’s red-ball team under Fleming; McCullum retains white-ball setup (Eric Simons, James Foster join England men’s red-ball team under Stephen Fleming; Brendon McCullum retains white-ball setup. Photo credit: @EnglandCricket/X )

Elite National Spin Bowling Lead:  Former South Africa head coach Eric Simons and ex-England wicketkeeper James Foster have joined the senior men’s red-ball coaching staff under newly-appointed head coach Stephen Fleming, said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday.

Simons, who worked with Fleming for eight years at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and Foster, who served as CSK’s fielding coach in IPL 2026, join a Test coaching unit that also includes Marcus Trescothick and Richard Dawson, with their first assignment being the trip to South Africa later this year.

Dawson joins as the Elite National Spin Bowling Lead after stepping down from his head coach position at Glamorgan. "Our gain is Glamorgan's loss. To go back into county cricket, where often you're not at the most-resourced club in the world, to do what Richard's done has been brilliant," England men’s managing director Rob Key was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.

Deciding to step up to the national role, Dawson acknowledged the significance of the move. "It's a decision I haven't made lightly, and an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Dawson, who previously served as England Lions head coach, England U19s head coach and England Elite Pathways coach, said in a statement by Glamorgan.

Foster served as a white-ball consultant coach for England men’s team between 2018 and 2022, before working with the New Zealand setup in recent years. He also served as head coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred between 2022-23 and has further experience coaching in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Simons, meanwhile, worked as a bowling consultant with the South Africa men’s team and was the bowling coach when India won the 2011 Men’s ODI World Cup and also served as assistant coach at Joburg Super Kings in the SA20. It also means that CSK will look out for new bowling and fielding coaches for IPL 2027.

Under the new structure, Mike Yardy takes over as Elite National Batting Lead alongside Dawson's spin role, and Troy Cooley continues in his existing position as Elite National Pace Bowling Lead.

Key highlighted that white-ball cricket remains a major priority ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. McCullum’s white-ball set-up for the upcoming tour of Australia will feature former England batter Kevin Pietersen in a specialist mentor role, alongside Jeetan Patel, Tim Southee, and Sarah Taylor.

Under the new structure, Mike Yardy takes over as Elite National Batting Lead alongside Dawson's spin role, and Troy Cooley continues in his existing position as Elite National Pace Bowling Lead.

Article Source: IANS