England Appoints Eric Simons as Test Bowling Coach
Former South Africa and India consultant Eric Simons, lauded by Ben Stokes as 'the best bowling coach I ever worked with,' joins Stephen Fleming's staff.
England is set to appoint Eric Simons as the new bowling coach for the Test side, marking Stephen Fleming's first major staff decision since taking over from Brendon McCullum.
Simons, 64, previously coached his native South Africa for two years until 2004 and served as a bowling consultant for the Indian national team for two years. He also has experience in the Indian Premier League, having worked with Fleming at the Chennai Super Kings.
Ben Stokes, who worked with Simons at the Rising Pune Supergiant IPL franchise in 2017, described him as "the best bowling coach I ever worked with," adding that he learned more in two months with Simons than in the previous decade. Stokes stated, "I probably learned more in two months with him than I did in 10 years before that."
Simons will assume bowling duties from New Zealander Tim Southee. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) plans to announce further updates to their Test-match backroom staff this week. Troy Cooley, the ECB's elite national lead for pace bowling, will continue his role across England's performance program and is unaffected by Simons' appointment.
Simons' initial assignment will be in South Africa, where England is scheduled to play the first of three Test matches in Centurion on December 17. Those familiar with Simons' coaching style highlight his technical expertise and his ability to build strong personal relationships with individual bowlers.