New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings’ former bowling coach Eric Simons and fielding coach James Foster have left the Indian Premier League franchise to join England’s Test team’s backroom staff, following Stephen Fleming’s appointment as the national side’s head coach.
Simons has been appointed England’s Test bowling coach, while former England wicketkeeper Foster will be part of Fleming’s support staff, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Monday.
The appointments come after Fleming stepped down as CSK head coach in July, ending an 18-year association with the five-time IPL champions.
Fleming, who took over as CSK head coach in 2009 after initially joining the franchise as a player, will now oversee England’s red-ball team, with Brendon McCullum continuing as the white-ball head coach.
Simons and Foster have worked alongside Fleming at CSK and will now reunite with the New Zealander in the England set-up.
Simons, a former South Africa international, has extensive coaching experience at the international and franchise levels. He served as South Africa’s head coach between 2002 and 2004 and also worked as a bowling consultant with the Indian men’s team.
The 64-year-old had been associated with CSK since 2018 and was part of the coaching set-up during the franchise’s successful IPL campaigns under Fleming.
Foster, a former England wicketkeeper, brings considerable international and franchise coaching experience. He previously served as a white-ball consultant coach for England between 2018 and 2022 and has also worked with New Zealand’s men’s team, besides coaching in various franchise leagues.
England’s Test coaching group will also include Marcus Trescothick and Richard Dawson, who has taken up the role of elite national spin bowling lead.
The coaching staff will be in place for England’s upcoming Test tour of South Africa, which marks the beginning of Fleming’s tenure.
CSK, meanwhile, have appointed former India pacer Zaheer Khan as their head coach, with Mohit Sharma taking over the bowling coach’s role as the franchise reshapes its support staff ahead of the next IPL season.
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