Brendon McCullum has finalised his coaching team for the Ashes, with the Australian David Saker returning to help England in a fourth Test series against his homeland, having been involved during the 2010-11 and 2013 series, both of which England won, and again in the drawn series of 2023.
Saker, whose official title is special skills consultant, will be in Australia from the arrival of the England Lions squad at the start of November and will remain with the senior team through all five Tests. Tim Southee, who has had the same title since May and is with the white-ball squad in his native New Zealand, will continue to work with the team until the end of the first Test in Perth, after which he will depart to fulfil playing obligations at the International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates.
Another returning face will be Gilbert Enoka, the former All Blacks mental skills coach, who was first brought into the group during the buildup to the Test against India at Old Trafford in July. Enoka, who lives in Christchurch, is also working with the white-ball squad – if only for the few days they are in his hometown – and will be involved for the first Ashes Test.
On Friday, Enoka ran an hour-long session for the entire squad and backroom staff, as they finalised preparations for the T20 series against New Zealand that starts on Saturday and looked ahead to February’s T20 World Cup. Harry Brook, who last month promised he would “never have a meeting” as white-ball captain, reasoning they were “a waste of an hour – I’m not very good at sitting there and listening”, emerged to describe Enoka as “awesome”.
But Brook refused to divulge what was discussed. “It’s something we want to try to keep to ourselves,” he said. “He brings a lot of knowledge about the mental side of the game. To have him in the ranks, just to be able to have a chat for five or 10 minutes, is awesome.”
The long-term batting coach Marcus Trescothick and the spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel, another New Zealander, will continue in their roles while the assistant coach Paul Collingwood, who has not been involved with the team in recent months, will again be absent.
The 59-year-old Saker worked as England’s fast bowling coach between 2010 and 2015, during which time they won the Ashes in Australia, successfully defended them at home and won a series in India for the first and only time since 1984-85. He then fulfilled a similar role for Australia from 2016 to 2019 before returning to work with England in 2023, initially with the white-ball squad. At the time he described England’s Test side as “the best team in the world to watch”. “I’ve been involved in Ashes with both parties,” he said, “and the cricket is as exciting as it gets.”
On Friday, Brook praised Southee’s contribution to the team. “He’s a fountain of knowledge,” the 26-year-old said. “He’s played a lot of cricket over here and a lot of international cricket, so to have him working alongside us will only benefit us. To have guys who’ve got so much experience, playing all over the world and being as good as what they are, we can only benefit from what they’re saying.”
