Fleming turns to CSK as England name coaching set-ups

Stephen Fleming, England's incoming Test head coach, has recruited two of his former sidekicks at Chennai Super Kings, James Foster and Eric Simons, to join his backroom staff, ahead of this winter's tour of South Africa.

Glamorgan's outgoing head coach Richard Dawson has also joined the red-ball coaching set-up as part of a wider appointment as England's elite national spin bowling lead, while Marcus Trescothick has been retained on the staff, having overseen a 3-0 series win against Pakistan during his stint as interim head coach in the summer.

Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum - who was sacked as Test coach in July but continues across white-ball formats in the lead-up to next year's 50-over World Cup - has retained a familiar look to his coaching team for the forthcoming tour of Australia. He is joined once again by his former New Zealand team-mates Jeetan Patel and Tim Southee, alongside Sarah Taylor and Kevin Pietersen, who will continue in his specialist mentor role.

The appointments were confirmed on Monday by Rob Key, England Men's managing director, who also announced that Mike Yardy will be taking up a separate role as elite national batting lead, a position - alongside Dawson's national spin role and Troy Cooley's existing position as fast-bowling lead - that is intended to finesse the talent in English domestic cricket and broaden the pool of "world-class international players".

Explaining the thinking behind the broad range of appointments, Key stressed that the notion of split coaching teams reflected the need to arm both Fleming and McCullum with "the team [around you] that you think can deliver success".

In Fleming's case, that has meant leaning heavily on his established connections at the IPL. Cricinfo understands that Simons, a former head coach of South Africa, will be leaving CSK to take up his England post, having worked there with Fleming for the past eight years. Foster, the former Essex and England wicketkeeper, also served the franchise as fielding coach in the 2026 season.

Dawson, who had put his name forward for the England head coach role, will now be stepping down from his role at Glamorgan, where he helped to secure the county's promotion to the Division One of the County Championship in 2025, while retaining their top-flight status this year.

"Our gain is Glamorgan's loss," Key said. "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."

Dawson, who has worked previously for England as performance pathway coach and with the white-ball teams, said in a statement issued by the Glamorgan: "It's a decision I haven't made lightly, and an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Foster's involvement in Fleming's Test set-up means that Taylor - the former England Women's wicketkeeper - steps back from the role she had performed across formats this past summer, which had included working with Jamie Smith on the art of standing up to the stumps for seam bowling, specifically that of Ollie Robinson in the Pakistan series.

However, Key stressed that white-ball cricket will be a "big priority" for England in the coming months, ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, and added that the T20I squad's rise to No. 1 in the ICC rankings was further proof of Taylor's success within McCullum's set-up.

Key added that, aside from Pietersen's white-ball batting role, there would be no specific designations attached to the coaching appointments. This, he said, would help to avoid "pigeonholing" the coaches, and thereby enhance their prospects of one day stepping up to the top job.

That lack of outstanding English coaching talent had been a specific criticism when the ECB was scouting around for McCullum's successor, but - having appointed Jonathan Trott to the England Lions role in the wake of his success with Afghanistan - Key believes that narrative is already changing.

"There's a number of coaches in our game that would have an opportunity in the future to coach England," Key said. "These are the guys that have been in our set-up a little bit. They've come through the system - whether it's Under-19 cricket or Jonathan Trott doing the Lions - we've got the best of what this country has to offer so far. So it'd be a great experience for them."

Test coaching set-up: Stephen Fleming (head), Richard Dawson, Marcus Trescothick, James Foster, Eric Simons
White-ball coaching set-up: Brendon McCullum (head), Sarah Taylor, Jeetan Patel, Tim Southee, Kevin Pietersen (specialist mentor)