Ahead of 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR) have appointed Steffan Jones as the squads fast bowling coach. The 48-year old pacer will be responsible for providing his guidance and training to all bowlers who are part of the Royals squad. The announcement was made by RR on March 4 through a press statement.
Jones who has loads of experience while playing for several county sides in England will be working with the squad during their pre-season camp to be conducted between March 7 and 10 at their performance centre located in Nagpur. Post training, the former pacer will remain with the squad for the entire IPL season.
Going into the tournament, the Royals have a very good pace attack including ace pacer Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kuldeep Sen among other bowlers. The spin department will be handled by experienced leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and youngster KC Cariappa.
Jones had previously served as the team’s fast bowling coach in 2019
“I am delighted to be returning to the Rajasthan Royals and grateful to the management for giving me the opportunity to work with the team again. With a plethora of talented bowlers in our ranks, I’m looking forward to working with them round the year and preparing them to peak and excel when the season comes,” Jones was quoted by NDTV Sports.
Meanwhile, RR director of cricket Kumar Sangakara also expressed his happiness to have the 48-year old pacer back in the midst. Sangakara said that Jones understands culture of the franchise perfectly and has been appreciated by both players and management in the past.
“Steffan has been closely associated with the franchise over the past few years so he understands the culture perfectly, and brings with him a very able coaching style, which has been appreciated by both players and management in the past,” Kumar Sangakkara was quoted by NDTV Sports.
“We are delighted to welcome him back to the franchise in his new role, wherein he will be working with our bowlers and providing support to them throughout the year, and we’re confident his expertise can guide us to newer heights,” he added.
