Lewis joins Gloucestershire as director of cricket

Gloucestershire have appointed former England women's head coach Jon Lewis as director of cricket.

Lewis was sacked from his role with the national team in March following the 16-0 hammering by Australia in last winter's Women's Ashes.

The former England seamer, 50, spent much of his playing career with Gloucestershire.

In his new role, he will be tasked with "shaping and delivering a unified cricketing vision" at Gloucestershire and overseeing player development across the men's and women's teams.

"I'm really excited. It's a place that has a really special meaning for me," he told the club website.

"It created a lot of opportunities for me to become a better player, and hopefully I can give people the same opportunities that I had here.

"I need to get to know how everything works properly, get behind the scenes and make sure everyone's working together," he said.

He added: "That unity has always been part of the Gloucestershire DNA - the teamwork and people working together.

"I think that's really important, as is setting high standards and making sure the standards of play, training, and the way we do things every day are really set in stone."

Lewis, who had previously worked as a bowling coach with the England men's side, spent two and a half years in charge of England's women following his appointment in November 2022.

He oversaw a drawn home Ashes series against Australia in 2023, but England failed to reach the final in either of the T20 World Cups at which he led the team.

His reign ended following the humiliation in Australia, where England lost every match.

A subsequent review after the tour resulted in Lewis and Heather Knight being replaced by Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt as head coach and captain respectively.