Mike Yardy appointed Young Lions Head Coach

Former England all-rounder Mike Yardy has been announced as the England Men's U19 Head Coach.

Yardy, who made 42 appearances for his country as a player and was part of the England Men's team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2010, joins the Young Lions from Sussex CCC where he has been in the role of Academy Director. The left-arm spinner had previously been in coaching roles with New South Wales and Kent CCC.

He steps into the Head Coach role vacated by Richard Dawson, who has moved up to join Matthew Mott's England Men white-ball coaching team.

Yardy said: "I'm really excited to be taking on the role of Young Lions Head Coach. It's a privilege to work with young players as they seek to make the next step in their career and I look forward to the challenge of doing that at international level.

"The Young Lions programme has helped to develop a number of very talented players across the last few years and it's an exciting prospect to be a part of that work and help identify and improve future England Men's cricketers."

David Court, Player Identification and Talent Pathway Lead, said: "We’re delighted to have Mike join us as our Young Lions Head Coach and he brings with him a fantastic range of relevant experiences.

"The Young Lions programme aims to inspire and develop players through unique and challenging experiences, and Mike’s time in domestic cricket, international cricket and - more recently - his time spent leading the development of talented young cricketers at Sussex will be a huge asset for us.

"I’d like to thank Sussex for their support during this recruitment process and wish Mike all the best in his new role."