Strauss ready to name Bayliss as new head coach
ENGLAND are set to appoint Trevor Bayliss as their new head coach after the Australian emerged as director of cricket Andrew Strauss’s preferred candidate to succeed the sacked Peter Moores.
Yorkshire’s county championship-winning coach Jason Gillespie was believed to be the frontrunner for the position after holding productive talks with Strauss last week, but he is understood to have been usurped by his fellow countryman. Bayliss’s coaching credentials include two Sheffield Shield titles with New South Wales, guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to two Indian Premier League successes in three years as well as Big Bash glory with Sydney Sixers.
The 52-year-old, who was interviewed for the post 18 months ago before Moores’s re-appointment, also led Sri Lanka to the 2011 World Cup final where he worked alongside Paul Farbrace, who is England’s No2 and currently in caretaker charge of the side.
“England wanted a coach with a proven track record and if it is Trevor, as it appears likely that it is, his track record’s absolutely unbelievable,” conceded Gillespie yesterday. “If I put myself in Andrew’s shoes, I’d probably make the same decision, if I’m honest.”