A personal request from captain Ben Stokes has lured former Australian bowling coach David Saker to reprise his role for England during the Ashes.
Saker was key to England’s ascent to the No.1 Test ranking a decade ago, including two previous Ashes wins in 2010-11 and 2013, and has agreed to return to help the old enemy.
“I don’t think I’ll do much Test cricket, but I’m doing the Ashes,” said Saker, who is working with the England white-ball teams in Bangladesh.
“Ben (Stokes) said, ‘I’d like to get you involved in the Ashes’. Rob Key (managing director) had already floated it a little bit, but being so busy I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to do it. Once Stokesy pushed it, it made it an easy decision.
“I said yes straight away because of the magnitude of the occasion. I’ve been involved in Ashes with both parties and the cricket is as exciting as it gets. It’s the biggest Test event.”
The 56-year-old, who also coaches the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, was Australian bowling coach from 2016-19.
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He joins a list of Australians helping England after Mike Hussey linked up with the eventual winners at the T20 World Cup last November.
Saker will rekindle his relationship with evergreen English opening bowlers Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson, who are set to embark on their ninth and 10th Ashes campaigns respectively, and work with firebrand Jofra Archer.
“Working with England the first time was so much fun,” Sakar said.
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to do the Ashes with this group because they are the best team in the world to watch at the moment.
“The evolution of Jimmy and Broady, they‘re so confident in what they can do and they just go out and do it. That’s what you want from your bowling group. My job is to make sure the bowlers are doing that.
“It‘s also creating an atmosphere in the dressing room that’s enjoyable. There’s no doubt that people are enjoying turning up to that Test team. It sounds like it’s a small thing, but the dressing-room atmosphere is a huge thing in international cricket.”