England Lions name Richard Dawson as head coach for Australia tour

He will be assisted by batting coaches Marcus Trescothick and Jonathan Trott, seam bowling coach Jason Kerr, fielding coach Carl Hopkinson and wicketkeeping coach Bruce French on the tour, with the group departing on Tuesday, January 21

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Richard Dawson has been appointed head coach of England Lions for their winter tour of Australia.

Gloucestershire coach Dawson will take the reins for the red and white-ball legs of the trip, which include a total of eight matches.

He will be assisted by batting coaches Marcus Trescothick and Jonathan Trott, seam bowling coach Jason Kerr, fielding coach Carl Hopkinson and wicketkeeping coach Bruce French on the tour, with the group departing on Tuesday, January 21.

Dawson said: “I’m excited for this opportunity to coach the England Lions, working alongside some excellent coaches.

“It will be a challenging tour and one that the coaches and players will all learn a great deal from. Australia is a testing place to tour as an England player, both on and off the field

“I look forward to working with some of this country’s best young cricketers as they progress on the Performance Pathway.”

ECB performance director Mo Bobat said: “I’m delighted to have Richard on board as head coach for the Lions’ tour of Australia. He’s an excellent leader and provides great technical knowledge as a spin bowling coach.

“Richard, Marcus and Jonathan all have experience of touring Australia with England as players so the advice they can pass on to our players will be invaluable.

“This tour provides us a good opportunity to recognise two coaches who have excelled in their roles in County cricket in Richard and Jason, as well as two high potential newcomers in Jonathan and Marcus.

“The tour also gives our players a chance to test themselves against their peers Down Under, giving them relevant experience at international venues like the MCG with an eye on creating success in future Ashes series.”

England Lions tour of Australia

Sunday, February 2: One-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Metricon, Gold Coast

Tuesday, February 4: One-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Metricon, Gold Coast

Thursday, February 6: One-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Metricon, Gold Coast

Sunday, February 9: One-day match v New South Wales XI – Drummoyne Oval, Sydney

Tuesday, February 11: One-day match v New South Wales XI – Drummoyne Oval, Sydney

Saturday, February 15-Tuesday, February 18: Four-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Blundstone Arena, Hobart

Saturday, February 22-Tuesday, February 25: Four-day match v Australia A – MCG, Melbourne (D/N)

Monday, March 2-Thursday, March 5: Four-day match v New South Wales XI – North Dalton Park, Wollongong

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