England rope in Jacques Kallis as batting consultant for Sri Lanka tour
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has roped in former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis as batting consultant for their Sri Lanka tour. The two-Test series begins on January 14, 2021, at Galle.
Coaches for England’s Test tour of Sri Lanka:
Head coach: Chris Silverwood
Assistant coach: Paul Collingwood
Wicket-keeper consultant: James Foster
Fielding coach: Carl Hopkinson
Batting consultant: Jacques Kallis
Bowling coach: Jon Lewis
Spin bowling consultant: Jeetan Patel pic.twitter.com/HDrS7ybAMR— ICC (@ICC) December 21, 2020
Last year, Kallis was the batting consultant for the South African team in their Test series against England. He was then replaced by Neil Mckenzie who was named the High-Performance Batting Consultant. The ECB has been looking to fill spots in their batting, pace and spin coaching departments. It is understood that Kallis was involved in detailed talks with the board, who has decided to rotate their players and support staff to help mitigate the stress of bio-bubbles.
England are slated to leave for Sri Lanka on January 02, following which they’re supposed to proceed to India on February 04. However, with the latest travel restrictions in place in the UK, it remains to be seen whether both tours (Sri Lanka and India) will proceed as planned.
