Essex Women name former England spinner Stephen Parry as head coach

Former Lancashire and England spinner Stephen Parry has been named the new head coach of Essex Women on a three-year deal.

The 39-year-old slow left-armer spent his entire 13-year playing career with his home county and became the Red Rose’s leading T20 wicket-taker.

The white-ball specialist won two ODI and five T20I caps for England in 2014 and 2015, featuring in the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, and also represented the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash before retiring from playing in 2020.

He transitioned into coaching with Lancashire’s women, helping them complete the domestic double last season, and has spent four years with Manchester Originals women in The Hundred, including two as head coach.

Parry – appointed after the departure of Andy Tennant in September – told the Essex website, external: “I am really excited for this next journey of my cricket career.

“I have seen the squad and I feel like I can bring my experience here to move them forward, become more competitive and work towards winning some trophies.

“I am still young, thirsty to learn and want to improve myself whilst helping everybody around me and look to build something special.

“The long-term goal is to build a squad where we are competitive across all formats, the first team, academy and pathway.”

Essex director of cricket Chris Silverwood said: “Stephen brings a wealth of experience from his playing and coaching career.

“His recent appointments with Lancashire and the Manchester Originals have shown that he can lead teams in high-pressure environments, and develop, nurture, and bring through talent, which makes him the ideal person to guide our women’s squad.

“We are confident that Stephen will have a major impact in shaping the current group of Essex Women, contributing to success both on and off the field.”