Troy Cooley to assist England quicks ahead of men's Ashes

The 55-year-old will also help the Lions fast bowlers in the four-day match against Australia A

England men have added Troy Cooley to their backroom team ahead of the start of the Ashes.

A key figure of the era-defining 2005 success re-joins the side as consultant pace bowling coach ahead of the series beginning on December 8 at The Gabba.

Cooley will then assist the Lions in their four-day match against Australia A from December 9-12.

As bowling coach of an attack including Steve Harmison, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff, he played a major role in the series victory 16 years ago and will hope to have a similar influence, albeit in support of Jon Lewis.

The country's two all-time leading Test wicket-takers, Stuart Broad and James Anderson - a non-playing member of that 2005 group - will be under Cooley's wing.

After that series win, Cooley was enlisted by Cricket Australia, where he occupied a number of roles across 14 years.

^{Cooley spent 14 years working with Australia at various levels}

"He's been in their setup for a long period of time, through development and at the top level," said Broad.

"He can give us great insight into Australian batters' mentality; what they're looking to do, where they're looking to score, where they don't like the ball, how (we should) be around them – whether you talk to them, whether you ignore them, whether you sledge them … can you annoy them enough to make a mistake?

"All this sort of detail, we'll be picking Troy's brain, because anything you can get – even a one-percenter on someone – will be really useful for us.

"You need all that sort of stuff to win in Australia. You need to be at the top of your game at all times, and find little chinks in the opposition's armoury."

ECB performance director Mo Bobat said: "It’s great to have someone with Troy’s expertise and experience supporting our Ashes prep and also working closely with our Lions pace bowlers. 

"Troy’s understanding of what it takes to be successful in Australian conditions is second to none, and the players are sure to benefit hugely."

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