Chris Guest appointed as England Women U19 performance lead

London, Sep 17 (IANS) The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced Chris Guest as England Women U19 Performance Lead.

Guest arrives from The Blaze, where he spent three years as head coach of Loughborough Lightning and then The Blaze following the region’s move to Nottinghamshire in 2022, leading the latter to Charlotte Edwards Cup success this summer.

Alongside his regional commitments, he led the England Women U19 World Cup programme as the first head coach in 2023 and then the U19 tri-series between Sri Lanka, England and Australia earlier this year.

The 40-year-old has also been an assistant coach at Northern Superchargers during the previous three editions of The Hundred.

"The first of its kind performance role has a significant coaching element as head coach of the U19 side for the forthcoming ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2025 in Malaysia as well as future tours whilst also leading on talent identification from the academy and senior programmes which will feed into England’s U19 activity," the ECB said in a statement.

Guest previously worked at the ECB as a regional talent manager, Derbyshire in a coaching capacity and Staffordshire Cricket as lead performance and pathway coach.

“The pride and excitement of wearing the Three Lions over the last few years has been immense and to be able to do so in this new role is an incredible feeling," Guest said.

“With the growth of the women’s game, it’s a privilege to take on this role as it will focus on ensuring our young cricketers get the cricket they need at the right time which I am extremely passionate about. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Blaze. It’s a great place to work and has been massive part of my development and I wish them every success in the future.

“Having left the ECB four years ago, I have gone away and grown. I’m really excited to take on this role and work with the country’s top talent whilst putting my own stamp on things. My philosophy is centred around creating environments where players are willing to fail in order to improve. We all began playing for the love of the game and I cannot wait to see the next generation of cricketers enjoying what they do and playing with smiles on their faces. I can’t wait to work with the other coaches and wider staff and to get started," he added.

Director of England Women’s Cricket, Jonathan Finch, added: “The ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup provides fantastic opportunities for our young talent to experience tournament match play against their peers from other countries.

“Chris’s appointment allows us to build on those experiences, through closer relationships with the counties, to enhance the support the players get at this age group. Chris brings a wealth of experience from the women’s domestic game and will play a key role in shaping the experiences young players have on their journey to international cricket.”

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