Jon Lewis appointed England head coach for Under-19s World Cup

Sussex’s Assistant Head Coach, Jon Lewis will join the England coaching staff for the ICC Under-19s World Cup in New Zealand next month.

The former England seamer, who is currently in Australia with the England Lions, will take over as England’s head coach for the tournament.

Jon will receive support from former England batsman from Jonathan Trott who has been appointed batting coach.

The Under-19s are currently in South Africa playing in a Tri-Series as they continue their preparations for the World Cup, and won their opening match against Namibia in Potchefstroom yesterday.

Gloucestershire’s Richard Dawson stepped up as head coach for the South Africa trip, assisted by former England batsman James Taylor, Durham’s Neil Killeen as fast bowling coach, and the ECB’s lead fielding coach Chris Taylor. Killeen and Chris Taylor will continue through to the World Cup.

England fly to New Zealand on 2nd January and play warm-up games against Ireland and Sri Lanka before three group matches against Namibia, Bangladesh and Canada, all in Queenstown. The World Cup final is in Tauranga on 3rd February.

David Parsons, the ECB’s Performance Director, said: “We are delighted that Jon Lewis and Jonathan Trott have accepted our invitations to join the England Under-19s at the World Cup, and grateful to their counties Sussex and Warwickshire for releasing them to do so.

“Jon has experience of the International Pathway having worked with the Under-19s on their tour of India last winter, and is currently with the Lions in Australia.

“Trotty was invited to help the Lions in their preparations for Australia by Andy Flower, and made a really positive impression on all the players and coaches during their week at the Performance Centre, so it’s good to be able to offer him the opportunity to gain further coaching experience at a World Cup – and to share his considerable international experience with our next generation of batsmen.

“We are also indebted to Richard Dawson for stepping up at short notice as head coach in South Africa, and also to James Taylor, Neil Killeen and Chris Taylor for their work with the squad. Not only do these experiences offer great learning opportunities for talented young players, but they are also excellent exposure to international cricket for aspiring coaches.”

As a result of his appointment, Jon will no longer join the Lions for their tour to the West Indies in the new year.