Phil Neale retires as England Men's operations manager after 21-year stint

Neale, who captained Worcestershire during his playing days, has been England Men’s cricket operation’s manager since 1999 – a career span that has seen him work alongside six head coaches and 11 Test captains

England Cricket stalwart Phil Neale is to retire after 21 years’ service as England Men's operations manager.

Neale, who captained Worcestershire during his playing days, has been in the role since 1999 – a career span that has seen him work alongside six head coaches and 11 Test captains.

He has worked on 257 Test matches, 422 ODIs and 110 T20Is. Prior to that, he led Worcestershire to consecutive County Championship titles in 1988 and 1989, playing 354 first-class matches and making 339 appearances in List A cricket.

During a 45-year career in professional sport, he also served as director of cricket with both Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, as well as coaching England A on tours of South Africa and India and managing England Under-19s’ successful World Cup campaign in 1998.

In playing 369 games for Lincoln City as a footballer, he was the last man to play both cricket and football professionally at the same time. He also enjoyed stints at Scunthorpe United, Gloucester City and Worcester City.

Neale said: “I was not sure that I would ever know when it would be the right time to call it a day, but I am pretty sure that I have got it right when I say that time is now.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in professional sport as a player, coach and finally as an operations manager. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to spend all my working life in a dressing room environment.

^{Neale's time as operations manager spanned six head coaches}

“It has been a privilege to witness at close quarters the achievements of the many players that have come through the England teams while I have been involved, and to have been part of some memorable team achievements. The five Ashes series victories and the T20 World Cup win in 2010 were very special, but the icing on the cake was the World Cup victory in 2019 at Lord’s.

“We have some very talented cricketers coming through now, and I envisage some more exciting times for England cricket in the future. I wish all the players’ and management every success for the future and thank them for their friendship and support over the years.”

Ashley Giles, ECB managing director of England men’s cricket, added: “I would like to personally thank Phil for his immense contribution to the sport and his incredibly loyal service to the England set-up.

“I have worked alongside him throughout my time in cricket, both as a player and now as an administrator. He has always been dedicated and professional in every aspect of his role and has enjoyed some incredible moments, including Ashes wins home and away and a World Cup victory in 2019.

“He can look back on an outstanding career in professional sport that has spanned four decades. I would like to wish him well in the next chapter of his life.”