Jon Lewis: Sussex head coach Mark Davis tips his assistant for England role

Jon Lewis' one-day international victims included Sachin Tendulkar.

Sussex head coach Mark Davis has backed his assistant Jon Lewis to succeed Otis Gibson as England's bowling coach.

Lewis, 42, helped prepare England's bowlers for the first two one-day internationals with West Indies.

"Good people are important to any environment and he's certainly one of those," Davis told BBC Sussex.

"Anybody who has aspirations to further their career needs to go for it. It's an opportunity that won't come around every day."

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are considering replacements for Gibson, who left to become head coach of South Africa, with a short-term consultant with expertise in Australian pitches who is likely to be appointed for the Ashes this winter.

But county coaches, including Lewis and Nottinghamshire's Andy Pick, are being given their chance to work with England's bowlers during the tail end of the West Indies' tour.

And Davis feels the ECB's interest in Lewis - who took 18 wickets in 13 one-day internationals for England between 2005 and 2007 - is a compliment to the Sussex set-up.

"It's great credit to him and it's nice for one of our coaches to be thought of in that regard," Davis said.

"He's really liked being around the boys and the environment. It's a great opportunity to further his career and show what he can do at that level."