Former South African head coach Eric Simons is set to be named as the new bowling coach for England’s Test setup. The recruitment of new coaches comes into effect as England once again decides to execute the split head-coaching responsibilities across formats.

Stephen Fleming will be the head coach of the Test side while Brendon McCullum handles the white-ball teams. When McCullum handled the red-ball side, England used a number of fast-bowling consultants, including James Anderson, David Saker and Tim Southee.

Stephen Fleming and Eric Simons have a long history of working together as the coaches for various teams. The duo have worked together for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, Joburg Super Kings during the SA20 league, and also worked alongside each other at Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket.

Eric Simons has parted ways with CSK as a bowling coach, and the five-time IPL champions is likely to appoint Mohit Sharma as the new bowling coach. Apart from handling league teams, Simons has also worked as the head coach of South Africa and the bowling coach of India in the past.

Fleming will lead the team in England’s upcoming Test series against South Africa in December 2026. Fleming is organising his team of support staff ahead of the start of the series.

The former South African allrounder Eric Simons has played 23 ODIs and bagged 33 wickets at an economy of 4.00, and also featured in 123 FC matches and has taken 330 wickets at an economy rate of 2.50.

It is worth mentioning that former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has been named as the batting consultant for the side’s white-ball teams ahead of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027 in Southern Africa.