Troy Cooley is heading home to the set-up that made his name. Two decades after overseeing England’s 2005 Ashes triumph, the 60-year-old Tasmanian will take charge of pace-bowling development across the men’s pathway.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Monday that Cooley becomes men’s elite national pace-bowling lead, filling a vacancy left when Jon Lewis moved to the women’s job in 2022. Day-to-day, Cooley will liaise with coaches and players from Young Lions through to the Test side, shaping technical standards and injury-prevention programmes and, quite simply, showing young quicks how to get the ball to talk.
Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director for men’s cricket, set out the logic. “Troy is one of the very best coaches in the world whose record over more than two decades speaks for itself,” he explained. “He has coached and developed the best pace bowlers in all conditions and his vast experience and knowledge will not only benefit the England Men’s team but also help to nurture the next wave of fast-bowling talent. This role will see him to work with pace bowlers and coaches at all levels of the men’s professional game as we look to build a structure for sustainable success.”
Since leaving England in 2006, Cooley spent 15 years inside Cricket Australia’s high-performance programme, then moved to the BCCI in 2021 to guide young Indian quicks in Bengaluru. That breadth of exposure – swinging Dukes, zippy Kookaburras, abrasive SGs – is precisely what England felt they lacked during a stop-gap period of short-term consultants. James Anderson, Tim Southee and David Saker each did stints last year; useful, though hardly cohesive.
Cooley acknowledged the work of his most recent employers. “I am proud of the foundations built in recent years and grateful to the BCCI team, led by VVS Laxman, for their support. Joining the ECB is an exciting opportunity to help shape the next phase of England’s pace-bowling future – bringing together the art of performance and the science of long-term development,” he said.
He added: “England’s pace-bowling talent and identity are world-class. My focus is to continue strengthening pathway alignment – technical standards, coaching language, performance expectations – by blending practical coaching with evidence-based development so bowlers and coaches can progress with clarity and confidence.”
England’s cupboard is hardly bare: Jofra Archer is edging back, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts are pushing for regular Test spots, while the Under-19 group includes Rehan Ahmed’s younger brother Farhan, a left-arm seamer already nudging 85mph. Cooley’s challenge is to knit that promise into a reliable supply line, ensuring workloads are managed and skills evolve. Expect an emphasis on repeatable actions, control of both conventional swing and wobble-seam, and – given his Australian background – plenty of work on hitting the splice hard from a fraction shorter.
The appointment should also relieve head coach Brendon McCullum and bowling captain Anderson of some developmental tasks, allowing them to focus on immediate series preparation. Quietly, England feel this hire completes the staff jigsaw ahead of a busy 2026 that includes back-to-back tours of Pakistan and New Zealand before Australia arrive once more.
It is early yet, but the hope is simple: Cooley delivered once; a second act would be just as welcome, only this time the conveyor belt beneath the stars should keep rolling long after the final wicket falls.
