Rhodes’ ‘honour’ to lead the Lions
WORCESTERSHIRE director of cricket Steve Rhodes says he is honoured to have been named interim head coach of England Young Lions at the U19 World Cup.
Rhodes has been called in to replace Andy Hurry after he was appointed as Somerset’s new director of cricket and will lead the side in January’s tournament.
“It is an honour to be asked to work for your country at any level and I’m really excited about this chance to work with the Young Lions this winter,” Rhodes said.
“I really enjoyed my time with the Lions in Dubai and learned a lot from working in an international environment which I’ve been able to take back to Worcester for the last couple of seasons.
“I’m grateful to everyone at Worcestershire for allowing me to take this opportunity and I’m lucky to have such high-quality staff who will relish the extra responsibility with me being away.
“My commitments with the Young Lions will end in early February at the end of the Under-19s World Cup which means I’ll be back in plenty of time to prepare for the 2018 season so it fits in well.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of working with a new group of talented young players at international level.”
ECB performance director David Parsons reckons Rhodes is the perfect man to replace Hurry.
He added: “Losing Andy at the start of a busy and challenging winter left us needing to find a highquality replacement.
“We are grateful to Worcestershire for allowing Steve to join us. He is a highly experienced and respected coach as a result of his success with Worcestershire. His appointment allows us to take our time over searching for a permanent successor.
“Steve has already made a significant contribution to the England Lions in their training camp in Dubai and white-ball series against Pakistan A in the winter of 2015-16. He has also spent time with the senior England set-up over the last two summers.
“Worcestershire have an outstanding record of contributing players to all levels in recent years, with five involved again this winter – including Adam Finch and Dillon Pennington in the Young Lions squad.”