Rajasthan Royals appoint Ireland's Rob Cassell as new fast bowling coach

The 36-year-old has held a similar role with Cricket Ireland since 2017, having previously worked with South Australia for five years

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Former Australian seamer Rob Cassell has been appointed as Rajasthan Royals’ new fast bowling coach ahead of the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League.

The 36-year-old has held a similar role with Cricket Ireland since 2017, having previously worked with South Australia for five years. He will continue in his position until Ireland’s T20 series against Afghanistan in India comes to an end in mid-March.

Cassell admitted that he had initially hoped to balance his work with Rajasthan alongside his job with Ireland, but it became clear that this would not be possible, with Ireland’s series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe clashing with the franchise competition, where he will work under new head coach Andrew McDonald.

“We have a great relationship from our days at Victoria together,” McDonald explained of the new appointment.

“I have followed his career closely and he is someone who has done the hard yards as a fast bowling coach in his career to date. His pure focus is coaching and under his guidance, several fast bowlers have come through the ranks and succeeded at the top level.

“His eye for execution and innovation in the game is something that we’re looking to utilise here at the Royals. His varied experience will hopefully prove to be instrumental for our bowling line-up.”

^{Cassell worked undre Graham Ford during his time with Ireland}

Cassell added: “I have been following the Royals from afar for quite some time, and I think this is a dynamic, exciting and highly competitive fast bowling line up. I am therefore really excited to chip in with my ideas and help maximise this team's abilities.”

Steffan Jones, meanwhile, who worked with the team’s fast bowlers during the 2019 tournament, remains with Rajasthan, but will now act as a development coach during the off-season.

“Steffan Jones is one of the best coaches in cricket with regards to player development,” Royals chief operating officer Jake Lush McCrum explained.

“His modern methods, learning from baseball and other sports, have been instrumental in the year round development of our fast bowlers. He will continue to work with our seamers during the off season who love working with him.”