England turn to Croft for spin tips in South Africa

CAPE TOWN: England will draft in former international off-spinner Robert Croft to assist their slow bowlers during the five-match One-Day International series in South Africa starting on Feb 3.

Croft will join the coaching team of Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace, Ottis Gibson and Graham Thorpe as a consultant spin bowling coach for a 12-day period at the start of the series.

"Robert has had success in both domestic and international cricket during his career and he´ll have plenty to offer the dressing room," England´s director of cricket Andrew Strauss said in a press release on Monday.

"It´s an opportunity for players and coaches to exchange different ideas which is so important, particularly at this stage in the side´s development.

"He has worked with our performance programme in the past and has proved a popular and valuable addition and I´ve no doubt this group of players will also gain a lot from his involvement."

Croft, 45, played 50 ODIs during a five-year international career that ended in 2001 and was a key figure in Glamorgan´s limited overs success during his 23 years playing for the club. (Reuters)