Blow as Farbrace bails out

ENGLAND’S bid for World Cup glory has been rocked by the sudden departure of coach Paul Farbrace.

Farbrace (above), assistant to Peter Moores and then Trevor Bayliss, has joined Warwickshire as their director of sport – a role vacated by Ashley Giles when he took a similar role with England.

He will leave his job with England at the end of the current tour of the West Indies, where he admitted that he had already decided to quit the national side in September rather than apply for Bayliss’ job because he ‘didn’t have the energy’ to stay on the international treadmill.

“It’s a huge wrench,” admitted the 51-yearold who has helped the England ODI side to No.1 in the world.

“I found it hard telling one or two people yesterday and I couldn’t tell too many this morning. I had to send a Whatsapp around the players and management groups.

“Even now just thinking about it, it’s tough because I’ve had the opportunity to do something I never dreamed I would come close to doing.

"I wasn’t good enough to play international cricket, I only played a little bit of county cricket. There is never a perfect time to leave and this is not something I’ve done lightly.

“From a selfish point of view the ideal time would have been after the Ashes, but for Gilo and I this causes as little disruption as possible.

“Of course every coach wants to coach their national team, but I don’t think I could have committed to another four years.

“I don’t think I’ve got the energy to commit to another four years of international cricket.

“Personally I need to do something different. I need to freshen up.

Void

“International cricket is not something you can do halfheartedly or not be committed to every single day.”

Farbrace’s departure could see an existing member of the backroom staff like Paul Collingwood step up into the void between now and this summer’s World Cup.

Now that he has retired as a player Collingwood has signed on to stay involved with England through to the end of the World Cup and he is a red-hot favourite to be the main white-ball coach under a new head coach when Bayliss moves on.

Bowling coach Chris Silverwood is tipped to fulfil the same role in the Test side following the Ashes, unless he makes a successful bid for the top job himself.

West Indies v England 1st ODI, Wednesday 3pm