Patel replaces Saqlain as England spin coach for beginning of tour
Jeetan Patel will join England as their spin-bowling coach for the first half of the New Zealand tour, replacing Saqlain Mushtaq, who is the first to leave the backroom staff since the appointment of head coach Chris Silverwood.
Saqlain worked for the England team on a contract basis for 100 days a year and had built up a good relationship with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. But his contract has not been renewed and England will use different spin-bowling coaches on a rotation basis when needed.
This is the first major coaching assignment for New Zealander Patel who will have good knowledge of conditions. He will work with England during the five-match Twenty20 series coaching Rashid and Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire leg-spinner on his first England tour. England are expected to appoint an interim fast-bowling coach at the weekend to join the squad in New Zealand, before advertising the job as a fulltime position. The job was made vacant when Silverwood was promoted to head coach last week.
Patel knows Ashley Giles, the England director, from playing for Warwickshire since 2011. He is contracted to Wellington, but has been given special dispensation to miss the first three matches of their first-class season and will join up with the England squad in Christchurch next week.
Patel has played 24 Tests for New Zealand and took 64 wickets in the Specsavers County Championship for Warwickshire last season.
England paceman Tymal Mills has signed a T20 contract extension with Sussex.