Neil Killeen has spent his entire playing and coaching career at Durham; 47-year-old has been involved in development of Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse; Killeen previously worked with England's ODI side as well as the England Lions and England U19s
Wednesday 11 January 2023 10:54, UK
England have appointed Neil Killeen as their new men's elite pace bowling coach.
Killeen replaces Jon Lewis, who became England Women's head coach in November
The 47-year-old takes up his new role on January 18, will primarily focus on developing and preparing England men's next batch of fast bowlers although he will also work with the senior team.
Killeen has spent his entire career at Durham, playing for the club between 1992 and 2010 - during which time he amassed over 300 appearances across all formats - before becoming part of the coaching staff and taking on various roles, most recently as the club's assistant lead and head bowling coach.
Killeen played a role in the development of Test captain Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts at Durham, while he has also worked with England's ODI squad in the past as well as the England Lions and England U19s.
He said: "I'm delighted to be appointed with the ECB and can't wait to get started with a new challenge.
"It's an exciting time to be joining the ECB, as there is a wealth of fast bowling talent and coaching around the country that I'm looking forward to working with in order to maintain England's strong contingent of pace bowlers in the future.
"I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone at Durham for their continued support both as a player and a coach over the last 30 years, it has been a great journey. It has been an honour to represent the club and I would like to wish them continued success for the future."
England performance director, Mo Bobat, said: "I'm absolutely delighted that we've been able to appoint someone of Neil's calibre and experience.
"Neil has a proven track record of developing world-class pace bowlers and, at a time when we have an abundance of pace-bowling talent, having someone of his quality to oversee their progress, as well as work with counties on their programmes, represents a real asset for us.
"In addition to supporting the six players currently on pace bowling development contracts, Neil's coaching will focus primarily at Lions level, but will also see him move up and down the pathway, working with England bowlers and our Young Lions programme."
Durham chairman Sir Ian Botham added: "Neil has emerged as one of the game's most respected bowling coaches and his success with Durham demonstrates this further.
"His work with Durham's bowlers for many years has been first class, so it comes as no surprise that he has been given this opportunity with England.
"Our aim is to produce England players and coaches - and this is further evidence that the work being done at Durham is paying off. His success with Durham as both a player and a coach has been outstanding, and I wish him all the best with his next chapter."
