Chapple steps in for Lions trip

Lancashire's head coach Glen Chapple will join England Lions as fast-bowling coach for the red-ball section of their West Indies tour this spring.

Chapple replaces Jon Lewis, the Sussex assistant head coach who had been due to continue with the Lions after working with the fast bowlers at their training camp in Australia before Christmas, but who will now act as England head coach for the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.

Chapple adds to the strong Lancashire presence in the Lions squads for four-day and one-day series against West Indies A.

Keaton Jennings, who joined them from Durham at the end of last season, has been appointed captain for the whole tour, and will be joined in the squad for the three-match four-day series by Haseeb Hameed, Liam Livingstone, Alex Davies and Saqib Mahmood.

Hameed and Chapple will then return to Lancashire in early March, but leg-spinner Matt Parkinson will join the Lions for the three-match one-day series in Antigua.

Andy Flower, the Lions head coach, said: "Jon Lewis's appointment for the Under-19s World Cup left us in need of a fast bowling coach for the West Indies, and we are delighted that Glen Chapple has agreed to join us.

"Glen has worked on the Pathway before with the Pace Programme, and is now establishing himself as a head coach at Lancashire, who already have a strong playing representation in our squads.

Chapple will join the squads for a five-day training camp at the Desert Springs Resort in Spain before their departure for Jamaica on January 31.

England have taken the chance to step up their search for a spin bowler after Worcestershire's seamer Josh Tongue pulled out of the West Indies tour because of an ankle problem he aggravated in Australia before Christmas.

Somerset offspinner Dom Bess, who was initially scheduled to join the squad for the three-match one-day series against West Indies A in Antigua in March, now joins the whole tour.

Tom Helm struggled throughout the Lions camp in Australia with the hamstring problem that had affected him late in the 2017 season with Middlesex, despite over-excitedly pronouncing himself fully recovered when he was briefly presented as a potential Asghes replacement for Steven Finn.

Helm has at least been added to the Pace Programme this month - initially at Loughborough, and then in Potchefstroom - before joining the white ball section of the Lions trip to the West Insdies - assuming he suffers no further injury setback.