Tim Southee is set to leave the squad post the first Test.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) have appointed David Saker for the role of the fast bowling coach for the upcoming Ashes series Down Under. While Tim Southee is currently serving the role, he is expected to leave after the first Test in Perth to participate in the ILT20. However, Saker’s involvement with th team is just known to be for the Ashes series.
The two coaches will work together in England’s practice game against the Lions at Perth as well as in the opening Test. To add to that, Paul Collingwood, who was a part of the coaching staff has been absent across the summer due to personal reasons, and would not be taking the flight Down Under.
Saker’s official title for the role would be “Specialist Skills Consultant”, but he is hired specifically to empower England’s fast bowling unit – a role he is quite similar to, in the recent past. Saker was involved in some victories with the English cricket team and the board has a history of turning to him in times of need.
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Seeking coaches that assist in specific tournaments has been the norm in world cricket currently. Teams are often seen hiring coaches for short periods of time, in order to provide insights into the conditions. In simple words, Saker comes from Australia and knows the conditions quite well. To add to that, he was also involved in England’s victory in the Ashes series in 2010/11.
The Australian has been associated with the English side many times over the last 15 years. Most importantly, he was brought back into the scheme of things for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022, the Ashes and the ODI World Cup in 2023. The ECB recently hired Mike Hussey and Kieron Pollard for the T20 World Cups in Australia and the Caribbean recently.
The English are taking a pace battery with them to Australia, and the pacers in the squad are extreme quality. The likes of Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse in the squad would be a potent bowling unit to face. Their only concern would be to stay away from injuries.
Though the fast bowling attack is full throttle, this is not the first time England are going into a series with a complete pace attack. However, with the squad they have put together, they will surely be aiming to win their second away Ashes series since 1987.
“We’ve worked so hard to get to this point. It is the last little step. So we get this bit right and hopefully we have every option available to us going into that First Test in Perth”, said ECB Director Rob Key on the build-up to the first Test in Perth.
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