England will select their subsequent Take a look at coach from as many as 9 candidates, with Andy Flower heading a shortlist that features solely two former England cricketers.
Flower, who stuffed the function between 2009 and 2014, stays the popular alternative following the sacking of Brendon McCullum on Sunday.
However with the recruitment course of in its early days, and Flower’s involvement with each Royal Challengers Bengaluru within the IPL and London Spirit within the Hundred potential obstacles, the ECB are casting their web vast in an try and safe a high-class candidate and arrest the slide in England’s Take a look at fortunes after seven defeats of their final 9 video games.
One of many two English candidates is known to be their former Take a look at No 3 Jonathan Trott, who made a very good impression throughout almost 4 years accountable for Afghanistan, reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup within the Caribbean. Trott has made no secret of his want to teach the nation for whom he performed 52 Exams and 68 one-day internationals after shifting over from his native South Africa.
The opposite is Richard Dawson, the previous Gloucestershire off-spinner who received seven Take a look at caps and has beforehand labored with the England set-up. Final summer season, he guided Glamorgan again to Division One within the County Championship for the primary time since 2005.
However ECB chief govt Richard Gould has stated that he and the board had been unconcerned in regards to the nationality of McCullum’s successor, and Every day Mail Sport understands that – Flower included – there are seven abroad figures within the combine.
Andy Flower (pictured with Alastair Prepare dinner and Matt Prior after the 2013 Ashes) stays the popular alternative following the sacking of Brendon McCullum on Sunday
Exhausting-nosed former Australia batsman and coach Justin Langer (pictured with Joe Root in 2022) can be a contender
Chief amongst them is the previous New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who was approached 4 years in the past earlier than McCullum bought the job however stated he wasn’t due to his long-term involvement with IPL franchise Chennai Tremendous Kings.
On Monday, nevertheless, Fleming ended his 18-year stint with CSK, sparking curiosity on the ECB. A shrewd tactician and understated competitor, he would offer a studied distinction to the extra easy strategy of McCullum, his former Take a look at team-mate.
Much more high-profile is the previous Australia opener and coach Justin Langer. Again in 2022, managing director Rob Key was led to consider Langer wasn’t within the job so quickly after teaching Australia to victory within the Ashes, although there have been additionally considerations that his unforgiving strategy was the very last thing England wanted after the debilitating results of a lot Covid cricket.
Now, Langer’s arduous edge – like Flower’s – could also be seen as a welcome antidote to the perceived frivolity of the Bazball years.
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who has mixed being head coach and director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals within the IPL with commentary work for Sky Sports activities, can be on the shortlist. He has settled in England, and this summer season has been taking part in village cricket for Shillingstone in Dorset.
Two different names have been round for years on the worldwide and franchise circuits. Tom Moody, who has beforehand coached Sri Lanka, was lately appointed world director of cricket for the IPL’s Lucknow Tremendous Giants, having final summer season guided Oval Invincibles (now MI London) to a hat-trick of titles within the Hundred.
And Mike Hesson, who has beforehand coached his native New Zealand, is at the moment accountable for Pakistan’s white-ball groups. His look on the listing is claimed to have irritated the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Legendary Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara, who’s settled in England, can be on the listing
Managing director Rob Key (proper) might be an influential voice in deciding Brendon McCullum’s substitute
Maybe the largest shock is Adi Birrell, who has coached Eire, stuffed the No 2 function together with his native South Africa and final summer season concluded a seven-year spell with Hampshire, the place he was extremely in style with the gamers.
Two males whose names have been talked about however will not be on the shortlist are Indian legend Rahul Dravid and former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who’s the coach of England Lions, however is just not thought-about by his bosses to be prepared for the Take a look at job.
The ECB have begun the method of contacting the primary candidates, with the intention being to have McCullum’s substitute in situ effectively forward of the primary Take a look at in opposition to Pakistan at Headingley, beginning on August 19.
However the want to get the suitable man for the job forward of subsequent summer season’s Ashes will trump the necessity to fill it rapidly, and an interim candidate – probably assistant coach Marcus Trescothick – can’t be dominated out for the three-match collection in opposition to Pakistan.
