Vettori to work with EPP spinners in Dubai

Seven promising spinners will follow Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel to the UAE this autumn, when their coaches on the England Performance Programme (EPP) will include the former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.

Vettori, who took more than 700 wickets in international cricket and has already made a successful move into coaching with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Brisbane Heat, will join the EPP batting and spin group, led by Andy Flower, in Dubai for 10 days in November

EPP Lead Spin Bowling Coach, Peter Such, said: “Daniel has been one of the most successful and respected spinners in world cricket for almost two decades, so we are delighted to add his considerable experience to the England Performance Programme this winter. I am sure that the players will benefit from working with him for the 10 days that he is with the EPP in November.”

As part of the EPP batting and spin group heading to Dubai, Vettori will be working with Surrey all-rounder Zafar Ansari,Sussex’s Danny Briggs, Essex’s Tom Westley and Lancashire’s Stephen Parry.

Spinners Ravi Patel (Middlesex), Will Beer (Sussex) and Matt Carter, who made a stunning LV= County Championship debut for Nottinghamshire at Somerset earlier this summer, will also be accompanying the EPP squad to the UAE in a net bowling capacity.

A dozen more young spin bowlers will be heading overseas this winter, either with England’s Under-19s in Sri Lanka or on ECB-led placements to Australia and New Zealand.

Four spinners have been included in the England U19s squad for a tri-series in Sri Lanka (also involving India) in December, as part of preparations for the ICC U19 World Cup next year: the Hampshire pair of Brad Taylor and Mason Crane, Max Holden (Middlesex), and Durham’s Adam Hickey.

In a separate player placement scheme organised by the ECB, Durham’s more experienced leg-spinning all-rounder Scott Borthwick is travelling to Wellington in New Zealand. In addition to playing club cricket, Borthwick will practise and train with the Provincial side, which will allow him to be mentored by Warwickshire and former New Zealand off-spinner Jeetan Patel.

Across the Tasman, Warwickshire’s Josh Poysden, Kent’s Imran Qayyum and Glamorgan’s Andrew Salter have been placed in Sydney Grade Cricket. Jack Leach, who ended the season with 11 wickets in Somerset’s victory over Warwickshire in Taunton, has been placed in Perth.

Earlier in the development pathway, Sunny Singh (Warwickshire), Owen Morgan (Glamorgan) and Dominic Bess (Somerset) are spending the winter on the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy in Adelaide and playing in the Grade Competition in South Australia.

Such added: “The most important factor in a player’s development, particularly for spin bowlers, is match play overs to hone the skills and work out how to apply them effectively in game situations. There is no substitute for this.

“We are looking to expose our spinners to cricket overseas during the off season, for the experience of competing overseas, taking more personal responsibility and also to continue their development by bowling those much needed match play and practice overs.

“This is an extension of the work we already do with these young bowlers in partnership with the Brian Johnston Memorial Trust (BJMT), and the First-Class Counties and MCC Universities, which involves providing an experienced spin bowling coach to each County Academy and MCC University programme.”

EPP batting and spin camp in Dubai, 11^th Nov – 1^st Dec