It is now more than 10 years since Paul Nixon pulled on an England shirt in that brief but golden Indian summer to his wicketkeeping career - and nearly six since he set down his gloves for good.

Life has never seemed to move at anything other than breakneck pace for one of Cumbria's greatest cricketers, so it is appropriate that now he finds himself trying to steer another team through the rapid fire of T20 once again.

Back at the helm of the Jamaica Tallawahs, it is Nixon's third shot at the Caribbean Premier League. So far the man from Langwathby has coached in two tournaments and won them both.

It is blink-of-an-eye cricket, a format which Nixon mastered as a Leicestershire player. "T20 cricket can be won and lost in an over," he says. "It's high tempo, but about being clever and smart at the right times."

Nixon led a restless life as a player, and the demands of coaching also pull the 46-year-old across the planet. Retirement has blessed him with more time to watch his daughter, Izzy, growing up, but a cricketer's existence is seldom domestic for long.

This, again, highlights the pace of life. When we were working on Nixon's autobiography, Izzy had not yet started school. "She's nine now and over my shoulder already," Nixon says. "She's already got size five feet and wearing [my wife] Jen's shoes. It's scary, bud."

Izzy, Nixon says, has inherited the sporting gene, but for the next month will be without her dad. When we speak Nixon is in Florida for the start of the CPL, a tournament that 12 months ago saw the Cumbrian fly home nursing a sweet hangover after Jamaica beat Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final.

That was three years after Nixon had also led them to glory, in the inaugural tournament. Completing a hat-trick this summer will be a challenge but the Cumbrian is typically upbeat.

"We've got three of our big guns missing," he says. "Chris Gayle has gone to St Kitts. Andre Russell is banned for not telling the drugs-test guys where he was going to be, which is the code of conduct we buy into. And then Chadrick Walton got bought for a lot more money from another franchise.

"But - that makes it a good challenge for us. We've got three new faces - a young lad called Kennar Lewis, a big-hitting opening batsman, a really exciting all-rounder called Odean Smith, and we've got Krishmar Santokie, who was with Jamaica, left, and has now come back - he's a clever left-arm seamer.

"We're in a good space. We had a practice game against America, and on a slow wicket, we got over 150 and they got 80-odd. Our spinners looked world-class."

Nixon's team still boasts formidable talent. The day before our conversation the great Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara landed in the USA. Bangladesh's legendary Shakib Al Hasan was also on a plane.

"Kumar has had a great year in England," Nixon says. "Last year with us he had a couple of good knocks, but not to his elite standards, so we know he can produce more. Shakib probably had an under-par competition with the bat, but you expect a guy like that to deliver.

"We have another young lad, [all-rounder] Jonathan Foo, who just needed a bit of work technically last year, but this year is looking really good, one of our best players. We've also signed Lendl Simmons, who had a brilliant IPL - high-class opening batsman, who can take anybody down. He's been a class apart this year. He looks exciting."

As a player, Nixon enjoyed a remarkably successful second half of his career as he opened his mind to the benefits of sports psychology. He also sought pioneering help for his dyslexia. While always a fitness obsessive, he improved to international standard because he trained his brain to help rather than hinder him in the middle.

As a coach, he has mantras which have endured from that time. He talks a lot about "processes", about ensuring each cricketer breaks down his own game to the finer detail and not take aspects for granted.

There can be little a Sangakkara needs in the way of coaching but a smart word here and there, as well as fostering a good team unit, is still Nixon's job.

"We've had a great week in Jamaica on our pre-camp, which was great to get to know the new players as people and as cricketers," he says.

"For me it's just making sure the guys are in a good space, knowing their right options, and mentally that they want to go and win matches for the team.

"I've loved it so far. It's great. When you do the right things at the right time then it's successful. You make poor decisions, you cost your team."

Nixon believes his own experience, both as a CPL-winning coach and a player who won T20 Cups with Leicestershire, can help. Anticipating what the opponent may do before he has even thought about it himself is a big part of T20.

There is no form of the game that more acutely rewards the ability to think on one's feet. "Ultimately, you know where players are on their journey because you've been through it yourself as a player," Nixon says. "It's about trying to be one step ahead.

"Guys who dominated on the front foot last year are going to be challenged on the back foot this year. So it's all about being proactive. We've kept in touch throughout the winter, guys have been on strength and conditioning programmes, and we've had great success where the likes of Kedrick Williams and Rodman Powell have played for the West Indies - two guys who have come through here.

"We've also got new owners, an American company who've bought the franchise. We had a team meal for about 30 of us in a great restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, and they seem really good blokes. They're keen to build the brand of the Tallawahs."

The day after we spoke, the Tallawahs made a losing start against a formidable Barbados Tridents team containing Kieron Pollard, Kane Williamson and Wayne Parnell. Twenty-four hours later, they hit back to defeat the same team.

The tournament began in the USA but now continues in the Caribbean, and Nixon's men must finish in the top four of the six-team group stage to progress to the play-offs - and hopefully the final on September 9. "On paper people probably think we're the weakest, because we're missing those three big guns," he adds. "Hopefully that will work in our favour."

Nixon also watches England with interest - and the Cumbrian all-rounder whose reputation continues to soar. It has been another major summer for Ben Stokes, whose status as one of the world's elite players has been consolidated in light of fine Test performances against South Africa.

The man from Cockermouth has dealt maturely with suggestions he is the equal or even better of Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham, preferring to establish his own path. Nixon likes the way Stokes has handled his rising profile so far, but says the 26-year-old is approaching a crucial time for his own long-term physical well-being.

"People are always going to talk, say things, have opinions," Nixon says. "Ultimately you've got to keep your head on the ground and do what you love doing best. I'm delighted for Ben that he's in the form of his life.

"His biggest challenge moving forward as an all-rounder is looking after his body and keeping injury-free. He's getting towards that age where he's played a lot of cricket, and you get wear and tear. People don't realise the hammering that your body takes day-in and day-out on hard cricket surfaces.

"But what he's doing is great for the game. He can swing the ball like Ian Botham, he's got Ian Botham's pace, he's accurate like Freddie. And, with respect to Freddie, Ben's much more of a batsman. Freddie was an ultra-positive strokeplayer, whereas Ben's much more of an all-round better player, batting."

The South Africa series victory was striking for its swing in fortunes, from heavy victory to heavy defeat and back again. Nixon has been intrigued by its path. "It's about momentum. England have got belief that they can win. South Africa, when they're firing have got, I think, the best bowling attack in the world. But England have got guys from 1-11 who can win a match, and that's exciting."

Also exciting is the test ahead in the sun-kissed Caribbean. Nixon has plenty on his plate, with a coaching and cricket foundation in Leicestershire, after-dinner speaking commitments and several business interests - but the hectic CPL appears to bring the best out of his competitive nature, and taps into ambition that never fully dies.

"There's a lot of T20 competitions going on around the world now, and a lot of coaching jobs starting to come up internationally," he says. "It puts you in a great shop window if you can do a brilliant job again.

"It's one day at a time. For me, everything will happen at the right time. I just have to make sure I keep learning, keep helping the lads, keep improving and what will be will be."