Jonathan Trott excited to continue important Lions role across busy winter schedule

Jonathan Trott is set for his first overseas assignment as England Lions head coach and is relishing the opportunity to work with some of the best talent outside the current international setup.

The three-time Ashes winner was in the frame for the Test head coach vacancy but will now oversee the Lions’ winter programme, having agreed to stay in post after stepping in to lead the recent home T20 series win over the touring Sri Lanka side in place of Andrew Flintoff, who departed his role with the development squad in August.

Two strong squads were announced last week for the white-ball series against West Indies which gets underway in the Caribbean on November 1st.

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Impacting the next generation

“It’s interesting and exciting at the same time. Dealing with the younger players of the next generation. It’s not lost on me how important that role is when you have a chance to have an impact on their career,” Trott told Betfair’s Stick to Cricket podcast.

“I had two tours with the Lions as a youngster, and it was hugely beneficial in my development.”

The squads contain an exciting blend of England hopefuls on central contracts and burgeoning county stars. Dan Lawrence will captain the 50-over leg, while 18-year-old Thomas Rew has been entrusted to lead the T20 side.

Trott is keen to instill a winning mentality after the Lions were convincingly beaten by the South Africa A side earlier this summer.

“My vision with the Lions this winter is very clear. When we go to the West Indies, I want us to go there and win. So, I want to pick the best side to go and enable us to win.

“Whether that means fitting in three or four youngsters who will develop and whom we identify as having fantastic talent, or fitting in with the main side and their schedule.

“But I think every time you pull on a shirt with the Three Lions on it, whether it’s under-19s, Lions, or the main side, you’re there to win and perform.

“Whether it’s their first Lions trip or their third, whether you’re playing and feel comfortable with the people you played with before or you’re a new guy, it’s our job as coaches to get guys ready so that when they put on the shirt, they’re expected to perform on a Test or ODI debut.

“So, we want to create that environment and that sort of mindset.”

50-over focus

The England Lions are scheduled to play three T20s and five one-day games against the West Indies, before travelling to South Africa for three one-day matches and two four-day encounters.

For Trott, the opportunity for this group of players to spend a period of time applying their skills in the one-day format is hugely important.

“The challenge we’ve got now, certainly with me as a Lions coach and focusing on the World Cup coming up. I see so many young players not having played 50-over cricket.

“They go straight from their counties into The Hundred and then we’ve got players like Asa Tribe and Ben Kellaway, who’ve didn’t play in the 50-over comp but batted at six and seven for the Welsh Fire, batting maybe four times in the comp and then they don’t get the opportunity to play 50-over cricket.

“So the challenge now as a Lions coach is to get these young players, give them the gears to play 50-over cricket, so when they get the chance to go and play ODI cricket, it’s not a huge shock to the system.

Test job interview

The 45-year-old left his role with Afghanistan following the conclusion of the 2026 T20 World Cup, and his rising stock saw him among the leading contenders to replace Brendon McCullum.

Trott was interviewed for the position and shed some light on that process which ultimately saw Kiwi Stephen Fleming emerge as the preferred candidate.

“When I went into the interview for the England head coach role, there’s a few things I wanted to get across.

“A, be myself. But also, B, the observations that I had watching the game over the last couple of years and where I felt work was needed and what could be done in a short space of time.

“England have The Ashes next summer and a difficult tour against South Africa and then Bangladesh. I think that is going to be tricky, you’ve got a contrast of conditions.

“But you’re also going to then probably see a different range of players as well, more spin in Bangladesh obviously than you would in the others. So, you need to be very clear on what you’re going to do from the get-go, and I put that across.”

Trott has committed to take the reins for the upcoming winter but did not rule out the prospect of a county job in the future, having undertaken a consultancy role with Glamorgan during the 2026 season.

“I think any coach would benefit from coaching a county team. I’ve had the last couple of years in the international game, and I’ve really enjoyed that and I enjoy the pressures and the decision-making that international cricket brings. It’s different to county cricket.

“If the right county came along or if it fits where I want it to be [then I would be open to it].”

Right decision

Trott was full of praise for England’s current crop of fast bowlers and revealed prioritising their workload across formats was another key discussion point, as well as leadership and weighed in on the decision to re-appoint Joe Root as Test captain, having previously coached Harry Brook when he captained the Under-19 side at the 2018 World Cup.

“I’m open to what has been communicated to the players, because I wouldn’t want to come in and change things, and my take as well, the last time I saw Rooty as captain, I was with the side preparing for the sort of COVID Ashes, if you like, away from home.

“It was a very tough time for him, very tricky playing for England in the sort of COVID restrictions, and obviously Joe being so proud of his role and the way that he carries himself in an England shirt, whether he had an appetite for it.

“I wouldn’t want to put it on someone who didn’t want to do it. So, I’d have that conversation.

But it looks like they’ve come to a great agreement and probably what I hadn’t thought of is Brook’s such a young guy doing all three, that might be quite tricky. So maybe they’ve got to the right decision.”

READ MORE: England name white-ball squads for Australia tour with Thomas Rew and Eddie Jack included