Trevor Bayliss backs Paul Farbrace to succeed him as England cricket team’s head coach

Trevor Bayliss has backed long-time assistant Paul Farbrace to succeed him as England cricket team’s head coach when he stands down after next year’s World Cup and Ashes.

England cricket team’s head coach Trevor Bayliss has tipped his assistant Paul Farbrace to take over at the helm when he steps down form the role after next year’s Ashes series against Australia.

Trevor Bayliss (L) has backed his assistant Paul Farbrace to take over as England cricket team’s head coach from the end of next summer.(REUTERS)

Farbrace will take charge of the team in their Twenty20 matches against Australia (Wednesday) and India (next month), allowing Bayliss to take a breather to watch county cricket.

“Definitely. If that’s what he (Farbrace) wants to do, then I’m all for it,” Bayliss told reporters when asked if the former Kent wicketkeeper could succeed him on a permanent basis.

“He’s had success doing it before. This is an opportunity to get that experience.”

Bayliss, who helped Sri Lanka to a runners-up finish in the 2011 World Cup, will look to go one better when England host the showpiece tournament next year. He will now head into his short break on the back of overseeing England’s first 5-0 series win against his native Australia in any format in more than 140 years of international cricket between the arch-rivals.

‘Unbelievable’ Buttler

But the sweep was only made possible by Jos Buttler’s superb 110 not out in the fifth one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday.

England were in dire straits at 114 for eight, chasing a seemingly modest 206 to win against reigning world champions Australia, only for Buttler to turn the game on its head with a superbly constructed century.

This season has also seen the wicketkeeper-batsman restored to the Test side in one of the most eye-catching moves by Ed Smith, England’s new national selector.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Bayliss of Buttler’s unbeaten hundred.

“I can’t really describe how good it is. Red ball, white ball, T20 -- there are not too many better in the world at the minute.”

Bayliss has coached the likes of Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara but added that Buttler lost little in comparison.

“He’s right up there in the top echelon -- a bit different to some of the guys I’ve worked with before, but he’s devastating.

“He can play that role he did (at Old Trafford), in smart fashion -- but when he needs to he knows he can pull the power out and put the foot down.”

England, for all they are the top-ranked side in men’s ODI cricket, have yet to win the men’s World Cup and Bayliss said Sunday’s dramatic success was a timely “reminder” to the 2019 tournament hosts that they are not the finished article.

“We still have work to do,” he said. “If we didn’t have work to do we wouldn’t have been 114 for eight. To me that’s a bit of a reminder that there are still some things to work on.

“The good thing is we were able to win eventually from a poor position. To get a win from that situation will give Jos and the rest of the guys a blueprint of how to go about it, and the confidence to know that we can do it,” he added.