Jonathan Trott appointed England Lions head coach

Trott took charge of the Lions for their two recent T20 wins against Sri Lanka, and will now lead their winter programme after the ECB confirmed his appointment on Monday. He left his role as Afghanistan's head coach after the T20 World Cup in February and has held a series of short-term positions this summer, including working with Ireland and Glamorgan.

Flintoff stepped down from the role in early August, soon after finalising his deal to become Sydney Thunder head coach in the Big Bash League. The position is a significant opportunity for Trott, who has previously declared his interest in one day coaching England and may use the Lions programme as a step towards that.

"Having played for the Lions myself, I know how valuable the experience can be in helping players develop, both on and off the field, and it played an important part in my own journey," Trott said. "I'm really looking forward to working with the players and staff, helping them fulfill their potential and preparing them for the demands of international cricket."

The Lions will hold training camps in October before touring West Indies (October 28-November 20), South Africa (November 25-December 23) and Sri Lanka (February 18-March 14) this winter, and ECB performance director Ed Barney said that there would be a heavy focus on 50-over cricket ahead of next year's World Cup in southern Africa.

"Jonathan Trott is an outstanding coach who has a proven record in international cricket," Barney said. "We are delighted that he has agreed to lead our Lions programme during a busy winter.

"This winter's Lions schedule has a 50-over focus across three tours as we look to prepare the next-in-line players for one-day international cricket. Alongside this, we have some key red-ball fixtures which will continue to provide opportunities to excel on the world stage whilst developing a broad skill set.

"Jonathan's coaching expertise, and as a former England player who knows the value of the Lions programme having come through it himself, will be invaluable for those players as they look to progress their careers."