There was a familiar face at Edgbaston on Sunday as the majority of England’s limited-overs players met up ahead of the series against New Zealand

George Dobell07-Jun-2015There was a familiar face at Edgbaston on Sunday as the majority of England’s limited-overs players met up ahead of the series against New Zealand.But the sight of Dermot Reeve, the captain of Warwickshire during their mid-90s ‘glory years,’ on his former home ground will have surprised many.Reeve, the former England allrounder, has been recruited by Andrew Strauss, the new director of cricket with England, on a short-term deal to add some limited-overs nous to a side that endured a wretched World Cup campaign.Reeve earned a fine reputation as a leader and tactician during a period in which Warwickshire won six trophies in just over 24 months including an historic treble in 1994. Renowned for his innovative thinking and tactics, he formed a formidable partnership with Bob Woolmer, the Warwickshire coach at the time, and appeared to shine on the big stage, three times winning the Man-of-the-Match award in Lord’s finals. He also played three Tests and 29 ODIs – including the 1992 World Cup final – for England.He moved into coaching once his playing career finished and seemed set for a bright future. But a promising career in broadcasting and coaching was derailed in 2005 when it emerged that he was struggling with a drug problem.While he has made a successful return to coaching since those days – he has worked in India (including a spell as assistant coach of Pune in the IPL), Australia and New Zealand, where he helped Central Districts to the Plunket Shield final in 2008-09 and the T20 competition in 2009-10 – opportunities in England have remained scarce.Having returned to the UK after a spell living in Australia, Reeve was contacted by Strauss recently with a view to adding his insight to the limited-overs squad. As well as attending training on Sunday he is expected to speak to several of the players individually.He does not, at present, have a longer term role within the coaching team and will only spend Sunday with the squad.