Jacques Kallis appointed as England's batting consultant for Sri Lanka tour

Former South Africa great Jacques Kallis has been assigned the role of England’s batting consultant for their short two-match Test series to Sri Lanka next year. Kallis also worked with his team last year, being in similar roles, when the Proteas team played against England. After that, a mix up in their administrative department saw Neil Mckenzie appointed in the capacity of High-Performance Batting Consultant.

In recent times, Kallis was believed to have indulged in some serious talks with England and Wales Cricket Board, who were looking up to fill their coach slots for batting, fast and spin bowling roles. The ECB has also decided to stick to the rotation policy for players and staff to minimise the stress on people, constantly working under the scrutiny of bio-bubbles during their winter tours.

Jacques Kallis’ golden records in subcontinent

Graham Thorpe, who is assistant coach to Chris Silverwood, will not be moving to Sri Lanka for this tour but is expected to join for the high profile India tour, which is set to commence on February 4. However, it is still not sure whether Kallis’ appointment would extend until that series. Kallis has some impeccable records in the longest format of the game in the sub-continent, which averaged 55.62. Also, eight of his 45 tons came here.

Nations shutting their borders with UK in light of new coronavirus strain

Other support staff that would accompany for England Test include Jon Lewis ( fast bowling), Jeetan Patel (spin), and James Foster (wicketkeeping). The English team is set to leave for Lanka on January 2, prior to the first of two Galle Tests, which will flag off from January 14. Concerns around the tour have surfaced more recently while a new strain of COVID-19 has emerged in the UK. In the same light, many countries have sealed their borders with the nation.

In the latest turn of events, two unnamed COVID-19 cases have also been confirmed in the South African squad. They have been isolated and have been dropped from the squad that would be facing Sri Lanka in the coming days.