The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have commenced the hunt for a new Test coach and have zeroed in on nine possible candidates, according to a report in a British newspaper.
Brendon McCullum was sacked as the red-ball coach of the Three Lions after losing yet another Test series, bringing his four-year stint to an end.
The candidates on the list of potential coaches who could replace McCullum include Justin Langer, Andy Flower, Richard Dawson, Jonathan Trott, Kumar Sangakkara, Stephen Fleming, Tom Moody, Mike Hesson and Adi Birrell.
Andy Flower, who is currently the coach of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, is the preferred choice to succeed McCullum. However, Flower has reportedly told his close ones that he is unsure if he is willing to take up a high-profile job at the age of 58.
RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik had also hinted earlier that Flower would probably give the offer a pass.
Langer, who coached Australia earlier and currently serves as LSG’s coach in the IPL, is also on the list. The report claims that England director Rob Key had approached the former Australian cricketer for the role in 2022, but he was seemingly uninterested at the time, having just led Australia to an Ashes victory. His approach also made the ECB uncomfortable at the time. That has since changed, and the board is now more willing to have a coach with a hard approach.
Tom Moody, who serves as the global director of cricket for LSG, is another Australian on the list. Rajasthan Royals coach Kumara Sangakkara is another potential candidate who could replace McCullum.
Two former New Zealand players feature on the list of coaches who could potentially replace McCullum. The first is former Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming, who was reportedly approached for the role four years earlier but turned it down citing his commitments with CSK. With CSK sacking him earlier this week, the ECB are once again interested in offering Fleming the head coach role.
The other Kiwi on the list is Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s current white-ball head coach. As per the report, Pakistan are unhappy with Hesson’s name appearing on the list.
Only two former England players feature on the list. The first is Jonathan Trott, who previously worked with Afghanistan as head coach. Trott’s candidature might be complicated, as he has recently been roped in by Cricket Ireland as a short-term consultant. The other Englishman on the list is Richard Dawson.
Former India coach Rahul Dravid is one of the names doing the rounds but isn’t on the shortlist, despite reports claiming that he is uninterested in taking up a full-time coaching role.
The other name missing from the shortlist is Andrew Flintoff. The former England all-rounder currently coaches the England Lions, but the ECB’s top brass reportedly believe he isn’t the right fit for the Test coach job.
