England appoint Jeetan Patel as spin bowling coach for tour of New Zealand
The off-spinner played 24 Tests for New Zealand
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Your support makes all the difference.England have hired Jeetan Patel as a spin-bowling consultant for next month’s tour of his native New Zealand.
The 24-Test off-spinner is keen to explore coaching with his playing career not far from concluding.
Patel, long-time overseas player at Warwickshire and the leading spinner in county cricket for a decade, replaces former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, whose contract has not been renewed.
The 39-year-old will work with leg-spinners Matt Parkinson and Adil Rashid during the extended five-match T20I series.
ECB director of cricket Ashley Giles has previously worked with Patel at Edgbaston, first as head coach of Warwickshire and then as sporting director for the club.
Patel has been excused from the first three games of Wellington’s Plunket Shield campaign in order to take up the role and develop his coaching ambitions.
England have also confirmed the appointment of Paul Collingwood as an assistant coach.
Collingwood was previously working on a series-by-series basis, but has now been installed permanently.
Giles and the rest of the England management will now seek a specialist fast bowling coach for the New Zealand tour after the role was left vacant by Chris Silverwood‘s promotion to the position of head coach.
Shane Bond, another New Zealander, has previously consulted in the role during the 2017-18 Ashes and could be brought back into the fold.
The first T20I is on 1 November, with five matches to be played in the series.
England then play two Test matches in Mount Maunganui and Hamilton.
Patel is expected to join up with the squad when they arrive in Christchurch next week.
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