Photograph: Harrias (CC BY-SA 3.0)
James Foster
Head coach · England
- Born
- 15 April 1980, Leytonstone
- Playing role
- Wicketkeeper
- Batting
- Right-handed
James Foster is the head coach of Desert Vipers in ILT20 Season 5, the side he led to the title in 2025-26. A former England wicketkeeper who spent close to two decades with Essex, he has coached across England, India, Australia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and his Vipers side reached two finals before lifting the trophy.
James Foster: Quick Facts
| Full name | James Savin Foster |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 April 1980, Leytonstone, London, England |
| Age | 46 (as of 3 November 2026) |
| Country | England |
| Playing role | Wicketkeeper |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| ILT20 team | Desert Vipers |
James Foster: Personal life
He is married with daughters, as he mentioned in his 2018 retirement letter.
Playing career
He played for England between 2001 and 2009: seven Tests, 11 ODIs and five T20Is. His Test debut came against India at Mohali in December 2001, and his last multi-day game was also against India, in an Essex tour match in 2018. At county level he spent his whole career with Essex, from his debut in 2000 to his retirement in 2018, playing 264 of his 289 first-class matches for the county and captaining the side from June 2010 to 2015. He scored 23 first-class hundreds at an average of 36.69, and in his final season he helped Essex to the County Championship title, their first in 25 years. He had earlier won the Pro40 titles in 2005 and 2006 and the NatWest Trophy in 2008, and he scored 357 runs in the 2017 title season.
Coaching career
He moved into coaching while still playing, working with England as a white-ball consultant from 2018 to 2022 and with the Lions and touring West Indies and Pakistan sides, and he was an assistant coach of Khulna Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League, head coach of Khulna Tigers in 2019-20, and assistant coach of Vancouver Knights, who won the inaugural Canada Global T20 League. He was Glamorgan's T20 batting consultant in 2019, joined Sydney Thunder in Australia's Big Bash League and coached the Boost Defenders in the Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy. In the IPL he was Kolkata Knight Riders fielding coach in 2020 and later their assistant coach, staying with the franchise until 2023. He was head coach of Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League, and in February 2022 he became head coach of Northern Superchargers men in The Hundred, the first Englishman to hold a men's head coach post in the competition, staying for two seasons. He has been Desert Vipers head coach from the first ILT20 season: two runner-up finishes in three seasons, then the title in 2025-26. He was also announced as an assistant coach of Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, and he joined Chennai Super Kings as fielding coach for IPL 2026. In October 2026 he left Chennai to join Stephen Fleming's England Test coaching staff as fielding coach.
Records and achievements
His record covers a long playing career and a coaching career that has now delivered an ILT20 title.
- 289 first-class matches, 264 of them for Essex
- Essex county captain from June 2010 to 2015
- Pro40 titles with Essex in 2005 and 2006
- NatWest Trophy winner with Essex in 2008
- County Championship winner with Essex in 2017, their first title in 25 years
- First Englishman to coach a men's team in The Hundred, with Northern Superchargers
- ILT20 champions with Desert Vipers in 2025-26, as head coach
James Foster in ILT20 Season 5
He leads the defending champions into Season 5. Desert Vipers won their first ILT20 title in 2025-26, beating MI Emirates by 46 runs in the final in Dubai, after two runner-up finishes in the first three seasons. Babar Azam captains the side, and Tom Moody continues as the franchise's director of cricket.
| Match | Date | Fixture | Venue | Start (GST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | Saturday 21 November 2026 | Desert Vipers vs MI Emirates | Dubai International Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
| Match 4 | Monday 23 November 2026 | Sharjah Warriorz vs Desert Vipers | Sharjah Cricket Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
| Match 6 | Wednesday 25 November 2026 | Dubai Capitals vs Desert Vipers | Dubai International Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
| Match 9 | Saturday 28 November 2026 | MI Emirates vs Desert Vipers | Zayed Cricket Stadium | 2:00 pm GST |
| Match 12 | Sunday 29 November 2026 | Desert Vipers vs Gulf Giants | Dubai International Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
| Match 15 | Wednesday 2 December 2026 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders vs Desert Vipers | Zayed Cricket Stadium | 2:00 pm GST |
| Match 18 | Friday 4 December 2026 | Desert Vipers vs Sharjah Warriorz | Sharjah Cricket Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
| Match 21 | Sunday 6 December 2026 | Desert Vipers vs Dubai Capitals | Dubai International Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
| Match 27 | Saturday 12 December 2026 | Desert Vipers vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Dubai International Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
| Match 29 | Sunday 13 December 2026 | Gulf Giants vs Desert Vipers | Dubai International Stadium | 6:30 pm GST |
These are the ten league fixtures. This section will be updated as Season 5 is played.
Career numbers
| Competition | Matches | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First-class | 289 | 23 hundreds, average 36.69 |
| List A | — | 3,357 runs at 28.44 |
| T20 | — | 2,158 runs at 21.36 |
Playing career, 2000 to 2018. The international tally is seven Tests, 11 ODIs and five T20Is for England.
FAQs
Which team does James Foster coach in ILT20 Season 5?
Desert Vipers. He has been their head coach from the first ILT20 season and led them to the title in 2025-26.
How many internationals did James Foster play?
Seven Tests, 11 ODIs and five T20Is for England between 2001 and 2009.
Which county did James Foster play for?
Essex, for his whole career from 2000 to 2018. He captained the county from June 2010.
Has James Foster coached in The Hundred?
Yes. He was head coach of Northern Superchargers men in 2022 and 2023, the first Englishman to hold a men's head coach post in the competition.
What is James Foster's latest coaching role?
Fielding coach in Stephen Fleming's England Test coaching staff, after leaving Chennai Super Kings in October 2026.
Is James Foster married?
Yes. In his 2018 retirement letter he mentioned his wife and daughters.
Conclusion
His Season 5 job is simpler to state and harder to do: defend a title with a new captain in Babar Azam and a squad rebuilt around him. His Vipers reached two finals before winning one, and that record is the standard the new season will be measured against.
More coverage: the Desert Vipers squad, the Season 5 schedule and the full coaches index.