Giles Appointed As England ODI & T20I Coach

Giles Appointed As England ODI & T20I Coach

Ashley Giles has been named as England's ODI and T20I head coach

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Warwickshire coach Ashley Giles has been appointed as the head coach of England's One-Day and Twenty20 International cricket teams.

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have split the coaching roles to ease the workload on Andy Flower, who will remain in place as Team Director.

He will continue to be responsible for the preparation and playing strategy for the senior teams but Giles will take on day-to-day leadership of the ODI and T20I sides, touring with them in place of Flower.

Flower will continue to oversee and tour with the Test team and both men will remain on the selection panel.

Giles, who played 54 Tests and 62 ODIs for his country, has been in charge of Warwickshire during a successful period for them culminating in the 2012 LV= County Championship title.

In a little over two years time, England will be heading to Australia for the 2015 World Cup, for which bet365 have installed them as 7/1 joint fifth favourites.

Hugh Morris, MD England Cricket, said: "England cricket has enjoyed considerable success over the past five years. In order to build on that success we know that we need to look for ways to evolve and it has become clear that the Team Director role needs to change if we are to ensure we are utilising the role as effectively as possible.

"Bringing in a Head Coach for the ODI and T20 formats allows the Team Director more time to plan for forthcoming series and tournaments and also have a more realistic and sustainable work life balance.
 
"Andy Flower has played a central role in the successes we have enjoyed in England cricket in the last few years and will continue to be responsible for the development and implementation of the strategies needed to ensure we continue to improve.
 
"I am delighted that Ashley Giles will take up the role as England ODI and T20 Head Coach. Ashley has had considerable success as an international player and is a highly respected coach and the players and England management are looking forward to working with him.
 
Andy Flower, England Team Director added: "I’m very excited by these changes and  very much looking forward to working with Ashley Giles as we look to build on the success England cricket has had in the last few years.  The changes in my role will provide me with new challenges and the time to allow me to focus on areas that are important if England cricket is to continually improve. 
 
"These include developing strategies to give us an opportunity for sustaining success in all three formats of the game. The change in role will also allow me to thoroughly plan and prepare for each of our international series whilst spending the right amount of time at home with my young family."
 
Ashley Giles, England ODI and T20 Head Coach, said: "I am delighted to have been appointed England ODI and T20 Head Coach and to be given an opportunity to coach at international level. I have worked closely with Andy in recent years as a selector and am looking forward to continuing to work together and to build on the progress that has been made with the ODI and T20 sides in recent years."

Giles' first assignment as coach will be the tours of India and New Zealand in early 2013 and he will then be responsible for the Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2013

Giles' promotion means Warwickshire are searching for a new coach and chief executive Colin Povey lauded Giles for his work at Edgbaston.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for Ashley and he leaves with our full support. He has been an important figure for both Warwickshire and England over several years and is well-equipped to deal with the challenges of coaching at international level," he said.

"We are, of course, sad to see him leave so soon after helping us secure the LV County Championship, but he leaves behind a strong team ethos and the players are already working hard to prepare for next season. We will be maintaining our core playing philosophy and policies, and the search for Ashley’s successor will begin immediately."

Giles represented Warwickshire for his entire career, playing 248 matches for the Bears between 1993 and 2005.

© Cricket World 2012