Jonathan Trott has been appointed England Lions head coach for the upcoming winter tours to be played against the Caribbean, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
He will be taking over from Andrew Flintoff, who stepped down from the role in August. Flintoff stepped down from the role in early August, soon after finalising his deal to become Sydney Thunder head coach in the Big Bash League.
The position is a significant opportunity for Trott, who has previously declared his interest in one-day coaching England and may use the Lions programme as a step towards that.
Trott previously served as Afghanistan’s head coach before stepping down from the role by the end of the T20 World Cup 2026 this year.
Since then, he has held a short-term coaching role with Ireland and Glamorgan. Trott took charge of the Lions for their two recent T20 wins against Sri Lanka and will now lead their winter programme after the ECB confirmed his appointment on Monday.
Jonathan Trott played 22 matches for the Lions in his career and impressed for them in the lead-up to his first Test call-up in 2009.
Speaking on his appointment, Jonathan Trott said, “Having played for the Lions myself, I know how valuable the experience can be in helping players develop, both on and off the field, and it played an important part in my own journey.”
“I’m really looking forward to working with the players and staff, helping them fulfil their potential and preparing them for the demands of international cricket.”
The Lions will hold training camps in October before touring the West Indies in October-November, South Africa in November-December and Sri Lanka in February-March 2027.
The ECB performance director, Ed Barney, said that they will be focussing on 50-over cricket ahead of the next year’s World Cup in Southern Africa.
“Jonathan Trott is an outstanding coach who has a proven record in international cricket,” Barney said. “We are delighted that he has agreed to lead our Lions programme during a busy winter.
“This winter’s Lions schedule has a 50-over focus across three tours as we look to prepare the next-in-line players for one-day international cricket. Alongside this, we have some key red-ball fixtures which will continue to provide opportunities to excel on the world stage whilst developing a broad skill set.
“Jonathan’s coaching expertise, and as a former England player who knows the value of the Lions programme having come through it himself, will be invaluable for those players as they look to progress their careers,” concluded ECB performance director Ed Barney.
