Bayliss promises hard-nosed Ashes
England will be a more formidable opponent in the upcoming Ashes test series under new head coach Trevor Bayliss as the Australian promises his team will deliver a “tough and hard” brand of cricket.
It’s the first time an Aussie has been put in charge and English cricket bosses hope the 52-year-old will return the side to the top of the test rankings and make it competitive in the shorter versions of the game.
Bayliss, the NSW coach, joins England next month ahead of the highly anticipated Ashes series in July.
“I do know quite a number of the Australia team very well from NSW,” he said yesterday. “I expect them to come out and play some tough, hard cricket, and they wouldn’t expect anything different from a team I’m coaching.”
Speaking from NSW, Bayliss said England’s victory over New Zealand this week following a poor start showed character “and that’s what good teams need”.
The straight-talking coach led NSW to two Sheffield Shield titles, helped Sri Lanka to the finals of the 2009 World Twenty20 and the 2011 World Cup and twice won the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Bayliss hopes to arrive in England in mid-June to watch the last few oneday games and the Twenty20 series against New Zealand. He’ll then take over from interim coach Paul Farbrace who’ll become his assistant.
The pair joined forces in Sri Lanka and together endured a 2009 terrorist attack on the team bus in Pakistan.
Former Australian test player Marcus North, who played under Bayliss at the Sydney Sixers, says the coach keeps things simple.
“The England cricket team will only be a harder, more disciplined side come the Ashes in a month’s time,” North told Sky Sports.
Bayliss was given the nod because ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss believes he’s best placed to reverse England’s poor form in oneday and Twenty20 cricket.
“His expertise in the shorter forms of the game will be vital as we build towards three major ICC events over the next four years,” Strauss said, citing the World T20 tournament in India in 2016 and the Champions Trophy and World Cup both in the UK in 2017 and 2019.