Bayliss preparing England for life after him

TREVOR Bayliss will quit as England coach at the end of the 2019 season but insists planning has to start now for the “holy grail” of the next away Ashes even though he won’t be around to complete the job.

The aftermath of another heavy defeat in Australia saw England’s coach confirm yesterday that he will not renew his contract which runs out after a home summer next year that features both the return Ashes and a World Cup.

But Bayliss wants to begin the process of trying to build a Test side good enough to finally compete in Australia even though he has not been as successful with England in the long form of the game as in white-ball cricket.

The crushing disappointment of a 4-0 reverse here will see English cricket undergo another bout of soul-searching even though there are unlikely to be any high-profile casualties among the coaching and playing staff. Yet Bayliss, who was brought in by team director Andrew Strauss primarily to improve England’s limitedovers cricket, says he will walk away in September 2019 whatever happens in that summer.

“I told Andrew Strauss 12 months ago I’ll be finishing after September 2019,” he said.

“I’ve never been anywhere longer than four or five years.

“I think it’s time to move on after that.

“But I want to leave the job having helped England into a position of strength.

“It’s never been about the coach. It’s about the team and trying to make them as good as possible for the future.”

Bayliss (left) is still highly regarded within the ECB and in Australia but his admission that he will leave next year does raise issues as to whether England need to again look at separate coaches for red and white ball cricket.

The Australian, 55, denied that his brief of improving white-ball cricket had compromised the Test game and preparations for this Ashes.