England appoint Mott as white-ball coach

Matthew Mott has been appointed as the new head coach of the England limited-overs side, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said on Wednesday.

The 48-year-old Australian has signed a four-year agreement and will take charge when England face The Netherlands in a three-match one-day international series next month.

Mott had been in charge of the Australian women’s side since 2015 and led them to back-to-back Twenty20 World Cups and also guided them to the 50-over title earlier this year.

They won four consecutive Ashes series during his reign, while their run of 26 consecutive ODI victories is a record in either men’s or women’s cricket.

“He has had an incredible coaching journey with so many varied experiences... he was outstanding in the interview process and the perfect fit for our white-ball teams,” Rob Key, managing director of the England men’s side, said.

“We are lucky to be able to appoint a head coach that has not only been involved in international cricket for the last few years but also worked in franchise cricket around the world.”

Mott’s arrival is the latest among a series of changes in English cricket, with Ben Stokes replacing Joe Root as Test captain and Brendon McCullum taking over as coach in the longest format.

“When this role became available, I was attracted by the chance to work with such an established and successful team,” said Mott.

“The idea of the split roles and the chance to work alongside Brendon McCullum in his red-ball role is an opportunity that I am incredibly enthusiastic about and certainly provides the right balance for my family.”

Meanwhile, England have recalled all-time leading wicket-takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad for the opening two matches of a three-Test series against New Zealand in June.

The pacemen were controversially left out of the squad for the recent tour of the Caribbean, which England lost 1-0, hot on the heels of a humiliating 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.

But the veteran bowlers, with a combined age of 74, were Wednesday named in a 13-man squad as England prepare for the first match of Ben Stokes’s reign as England captain at Lord’s, starting on June 2.

Star batsman Joe Root, who quit as captain last month, has retained his place in the squad, the first selected since Rob Key and Brendon McCullum were appointed to their England roles.

Squad:

Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Jonnny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Joe Root.