Trevor Bayliss still due to step down as England coach next summer despite historic victory in Sri Lanka
The Australian is adamant he will stick to his plan of leaving in September 2019, after the World Cup and Ashes
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Trevor Bayliss has ruled out continuing in his job beyond next summer even after leading England to a historic Test series win in Sri Lanka.
England lead the Sri Lankans 2-0 heading to Colombo for a dead rubber after Joe Root's new-look side secured memorable wins at Galle and Pallekele.
The Australian announced in January that he would be stepping down as England coach when his contract expired in September 2019, following the World Cup and Ashes which both take place on home soil.
Bayliss had told the ECB in 2017 that he wouldn’t be extending his deal due to his belief that four or five years in any job is enough before the players need a new voice.
And even in the warm, if humid, afterglow of the second Test win at Pallekele, the England coach reiterated that no amount of success would make him reconsider.
“I’ve always been of the opinion even before I started the England job that four or five years is a good life for a coach with one team,” he said.
“Hopefully you take it forward and then it’s up to a new voice maybe someone of a different direction to take the team forward. I’ve always been of that opinion and that’s not going to change.”
Bayliss has overseen a transformation in England’s fortunes in limited-overs cricket, even if that has not resulted in any trophies, but had enjoyed less success in the five-day format.
Wins over India on home soil and Sri Lanka away this year may well alter the perception of his reign a little, with England’s assertive style coming into its own in the sub-continent.
While winning an Ashes tour remains the golden goose for any England coach – something Bayliss readily admits – the greatest prize in Test cricket right now might be an away win in India, beating the world’s No.1 ranked side.
But not even this first success on the sub-continent in six years could persuade Bayliss to go back and try out England’s new formula in Virat Kohli’s back yard.
“We played in India reasonably well from batting point of view [in 2012-13],” he added. “Where we lost it, we made 400, they were able to make 600.
“The job the spinners did in this Test, although they didn’t quite hit their proper lengths in the first innings, having to bowl a team to a win on a fifth-day turning wicket in the subcontinent, there’s a lot of pressure in that in itself.
“I thought the way they responded in the second session was fantastic. Hopefully that’s a learning curve for those guys.
"I look forward to watching the next series in India on TV.”
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