London, Dec 8 (IANS) Former England coach Jon Lewis has been appointed as the new head coach of London Spirit in The Hundred Women’s competition. He takes over from Chris Liddle, who previously posted on Instagram to thank players and staff for ‘four unforgettable years’.

Lewis will work closely with London Spirit women’s General Manager, veteran England batter Heather Knight, on staff appointments and squad composition ahead of the player auction in March.

“This is a really exciting opportunity to play a part in shaping the future of this franchise. I am looking forward to building a team packed with talent and character, playing cricket that Spirit fans coming to Lord’s will get behind as we aim to win a second title this summer.

“I am also grateful to Gloucestershire for allowing me to take this opportunity during The Hundred, while also continuing to drive forward enhancements to the county’s performance structure,” said Lewis in a statement on Monday.

Under Lewis, England reached the semifinals of the 2023 ICC T20 World Cup and defeated India in an away T20I series before winning home series against Pakistan and New Zealand in 2024. He also oversaw England’s memorable 2023 Ashes series in which England came back from 6-0 down to draw 8-8.

But Lewis had to leave as England’s head coach earlier this year after the side crashed to a 16-0 drubbing in the Women’s Ashes in Australia. He also left his role as head coach of UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) after the franchise finished at the bottom of the points table in this year’s tournament.

“I’m delighted to have Jon joining London Spirit as our Women’s Head Coach. I know first-hand his capabilities as a coach and his qualities as a person. He has a fantastic breadth of experiences across both the women’s and men’s games, which will stand us in good stead in our pursuit of sustained success.

“It’s particularly exciting to consider the potential of his professional partnership with Heather, whom he obviously knows well from his time with the senior England women’s team,” said Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket at the Spirits.

Lewis represented England across formats during his playing career and also serves as Director of Cricket at Gloucestershire, where he manages performance structures for both men’s and women’s teams and oversees pathway programmes.

He will join up with the Spirit after Gloucestershire’s final T20 Blast match in July, ahead of the start of The Hundred in August.

“Congratulations to Jon on securing this prestigious coaching position at London Spirit. We knew when appointing Jon as Director of Cricket at the Club, given his extensive coaching experience around the world, there would likely be a franchise opportunity for him in the Hundred.

“For him to be working as Head Coach of London Spirit is great news for Gloucestershire, as we seek to develop our women’s cricket team. With our strategy of moving to become “Tier 1 ready”, having someone at the heart of the elite women’s game can only help us as we build towards that goal,” said Neil Priscott, Chief Executive at Gloucestershire Cricket.

–IANS

nr/bc