Jon Lewis appointed Young Lions Head Coach

The former Gloucestershire, Surrey, Sussex and England fast-bowler will join the ECB from Sussex on a full-time basis in April, after taking temporary charge of the England Under-19s during the recent ICC Under-19s World Cup in New Zealand, read the England and Wales Cricket Board.

He also worked as fast-bowling coach with the Under-19s on their tour of India last winter, and as fast-bowling coach for the England Lions in Australia before Christmas.

Lewis moved on to the coaching staff at Sussex after retiring at the end of the 2014 season, initially as fast-bowling coach and more recently as assistant head coach, and becomes the third former Sussex coach in a key role at the ECB, following Mark Robinson’s appointment as Head Coach of England Women in November 2015, and the recent appointment of Carl Hopkinson as Lead Fielding Coach.

He succeeds Andy Hurry, who returned to Somerset as Director of Cricket before Christmas after three years as head coach of the England Under-19s and Young Lions. In addition to leading the Under-19s in reciprocal series and World Cups – beginning with two home “Tests” and three ODIs against South Africa this summer – the role involves working closely with county coaches and academy directors in the development of the country’s most talented young players.

David Parsons, the ECB’s Performance Director, said: “After a full and open recruitment process, Jon was an outstanding candidate for the role after his work on our International Pathway over the last couple of years, most recently as head coach at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. "