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It hasn’t taken long for the ECB’s search for a new Test coach to hit a roadblock. Five days after the sacking of Brendon McCullum, their first choice as his replacement – Andy Flower – has said he isn’t interested.
This in itself isn’t necessarily a problem, though it says something about the changing priorities of the best modern coaches, who can earn more money and suffer less stress by opting for franchise cricket ahead of the international circuit.
But the ECB made no secret of the fact that Flower was their preferred candidate, leading many fans to believe that the deal was close to being sealed.
Instead, the board have been left with the worst of both worlds: a resounding ‘no’ from the man they craved, and a sense that whoever ends up getting the job will feel second-best, or worse.
It is a damaging false start to a process that has to be concluded as quickly as possible if England are to avoid going into the three-match series against Pakistan on August 19 with a stand-in coach and, therefore, a captain yet to be properly ratified by the man he will end up working with.
Beneath Flower’s stated reason for shouldering arms – that he doesn’t believe he can combine the Test role with his franchise work with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and London Spirit – is a factor that is psychological rather than logistical. And it is a factor that ought to concern the ECB.
Andy Flower had tremendous success with England in his first stint between 2009 and 2014 – but has ruled out a return despite being the ECB’s first choice to replace Brendon McCullum
Flower is enjoying life on the franchise circuit, having won the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the second year in a row
Namely, does any contemporary coach need the hassle and the aggro of being held to account on a daily basis for trying to make England’s Test team a consistent force?
In private these last few days, Flower told friends he wasn’t sure he wanted to go through it all again, even though his first stint as head coach, between 2009 and 2014, was full of triumph before its messy end.
It was once the case that the England job would be considered one of the best in the cricketing world. In some ways it remains so: well paid and resourced, superbly backed by data and sports science, and in a country that still regards Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport.
But attitudes have changed, and more money can be earned elsewhere for less scrutiny and less disruption to family life. Flower’s polite refusal may be the canary in the coalmine.
The next step is not straightforward. The Australian Justin Langer, possibly England’s second choice, was regarded as too schoolmasterly to be in the running when McCullum got the job more than four years ago, but the ECB do not have the luxury to be quite so picky now.
Even so, as one of Langer’s former Test team-mates told Daily Mail Sport: ‘Having played with JL, I just don’t know if he could coach against Australia.’
Jonathan Trott, meanwhile, is in the mix, even while doubts exist about his relationship with ECB managing director Rob Key.
And the former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has said he would ‘100 per cent give it some consideration, just out of respect’, which didn’t immediately sound as if he’d be willing to uproot his family, including teenage children.
Justin Langer is in the running to replace McCullum, though one former team-mate of the Australian cast doubt on his ability to coach England in the Ashes
Jonathan Trott is in the mix too, even while doubts exist about his relationship with ECB managing director Rob Key
At some point, the ECB may have to settle for someone in the middle of their pecking order.
Starting against Pakistan at Headingley next month, they have 10 Tests left before the Ashes, of which two will be in spin-heavy conditions in Bangladesh that will bear no relevance to the pitches against Australia next summer, and a third under the MCG lights against the pink ball.
Flower’s decision isn’t just a slap in the face: it’s a warning. Time is running out, and the fans are getting restless. Another Ashes fiasco could bring the whole thing crashing down.
