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| - Sussex will split their head coach role between Ian Salisbury and James Kirtley for 2021, the English county side announced on Wednesday. Current spin bowling coach Salisbury will take charge for the first-class and one-day competitions, with pace bowling coach Kirtley guiding the south coast club in the Twenty20 tournament. The pair both played for Sussex, making over a combined 600 senior appearances and taking 1,500 wickets between them. They also represented England a combined 35 times in all forms of the game. Both Kirtley and Salisbury have also had spells coaching England Women and the England Physical Disability squad. Sussex's announcement comes after Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler, left his position as head coach at the end of the English season. Sussex chief executive Rob Andrew explained the decision by saying in a statement: "As we head into the winter with so much uncertainty, we wanted to give clarity to everyone involved with the club. "Ian and James have worked well together both here and elsewhere, are passionate about the club and have a clear vision for all formats." The former England rugby union fly-half added: "The county game will evolve further next year with the launch of The Hundred, and this is a move taken with that in mind." Gillespie has returned home to Adelaide to take up a new job with the West End Redbacks, South Australia's Sheffield Shield team, alongside his existing coaching responsibilities with the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash. jdg/bsp
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