Baz-gone, and Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, is lucky to survive. Ben Stokes announcing his retirement in the middle of a series was the precursor. With Brendon McCullum’s sacking as the Test coach, Bazball has died an unceremonious death. The question is who will replace McCullum? England are scheduled to play a three-match home Test series against Pakistan in August-September.
It is learnt that the race could be tight between Jonathan Trott and Andy Flower. The latter was the England team director from 2009 to 2014. During his tenure, England won an away Ashes series, won a Test series in India and annexed the 2010 World T20 title. However, a dressing-room fallout led to his departure, with former England captain Kevin Pietersen reportedly characterising him as a “mood hoover”.
There’s a question mark over whether the Zimbabwean would like to work with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) again. According to sources, if he is approached, he might ask the English cricket hierarchy to allow him to continue as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach for two months during the IPL as well. Under Flower, RCB have won back-to-back IPL titles. This, however, is not non-negotiable.
If Flower accepts the England job, he might take Dinesh Karthik, the RCB mentor and batting coach, with him as his assistant. But Trott, the former England batsman, too, is very much in the reckoning, according to sources. He recently concluded his three-and-a-half years tenure as Afghanistan head coach during which he transformed the team to a white-ball force, taking them to a T20 World Cup semi-final (2024).
Meanwhile, The Telegraph (London) has reported that Rahul Dravid, too, features in the ECB shortlist, along with ex-England spinner Richard Dawson. The legendary former India batsman tasted success as the Indian team head coach, guiding the side to the T20 World Cup triumph in 2024, and playing the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023. Dravid is a hugely respected figure in world cricket and as the report mentioned, his “meticulous” approach and deep understanding of the game makes him an attractive option. Through his stint with Kent, Dravid also knows English cricket well.
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