Lewis takes on Silverwood job with the Lions

THERE will be another Englishman Down Under this winter with Sussex assistant coach Jon Lewis heading to Australia to work with the England Lions.

Lewis will assume the role of fast-bowling coach in place of Chris Silverwood who takes up that role with the Test team.

Lewis, 42, will join the Lions in Loughborough next week, before going with the squad to their Australian training camp between November 13 and December 16.

That won’t be the end of the Lions assignment for Lewis, though, who will perform the same role for the ‘Test’ match leg of the Lions’ tour to the West Indies that starts at the end of January.

Andy Flower, the Lions head coach, said: “We’re very happy for Chris, who has added significantly to our programme in the past, most recently in Sri Lanka last winter, in addition to the success he has had as a head coach with Essex.

“It left us with a vacancy but we are delighted to have an outstanding replacement in Jon Lewis – and we are very grateful to Keith Greenfield and Rob Andrew at Sussex for being so flexible and supportive in moving so quickly to allow Jon to join us.

“Jon has worked with the Young Lions programme in the past, and in addition to his pedigree as an international bowler, he travelled to Australia with the Lions himself back in 2006, which was my first with the programme as an assistant to Peter Moores.”

And it’s set to be a busy winter for Lewis with the Sussex man heading to Western Australia where he will assist with Big Bash League side Perth Scorchers between Lions duty.

Lewis said: “I’m excited about the prospect of coaching the England Lions and the Perth Scorchers in one of the world’s highest profile T20 tournaments.

“I’ll be working with worldclass head coaches in Andy Flower and Justin Langer, and assisting with the coaching of some of the most talented cricketers in the world.

“Working at this top level will provide invaluable experiences to bring back to Sussex for the 2018 season.”