England coach and captain contenders : Big task for Rob Key
England coach and captain contenders: Who could lead Test turnaround? This is the question looming large over England’s men’s cricket new managing director in Rob Key, He needs to figure out about the head coach and captain vacancies in Test cricket? We take a look at some of the top contenders for both positions, from Justin Langer to Mahela Jayawardene, and Ben Stokes to Sam Billings.
Following Rob Key’s appointment as the new managing director of England men’s cricket, the focus now shifts to the two most important responsibilities that await him in his new position.
Who will be England’s new head coach, specifically? And, after Joe Root stepped down as captain of the Test team last week, who will take his place?
Here we take a look at some of the leading contenders for both positions as Key’s tenure gets under way
England coach and captain contenders : Head Coach Contenders
Justin Langer
To begin, Key must decide if England’s head coaching duties will be split between red and white ball and the first in the list of England coach and captain contenders is Justin Langer.
Langer is fully equipped in any role, and the way he led Australia to success in the T20 World Cup in 2021 and then an overwhelming 4-0 Ashes victory over England a few months later suggests he may be the right selection in a broader role.
Langer’s triumph, though, came at a cost. He quit in February after declining a short-term contract extension and amid reports of growing player dissatisfaction with his coaching style.
“He’s a bit of a demanding taskmaster,” Key said at the time, “but they’ve come back from sandpaper-gate, they’ve won the T20 World Cup, and they’ve won the Ashes easily.”
Yes, he’s a tough taskmaster, but isn’t that exactly what this England team requires?
Gary Kirsten
Kirsten seems to have been on the verge of landing the England post for a long time, having applied in 2015 and 2019 before losing out to Trevor Bayliss and Chris Silverwood.
Kirsten’s credentials speak for themselves, having led India to World Cup glory in 2011 before leading his home South Africa to the top of the Test rankings a year later.
One potential stumbling block is Kirsten’s lack of international coaching experience since leaving the Proteas in 2013 due to family obligations, and he has previously stated that he would only return in a split-coaching capacity.
Kirsten told the I newspaper in December that the Test job appeals to him: “Your Test side has been battling for a while, but it would be a very nice challenge to get it rolling.”
“There’s a lot that has to be done to have this Test team up and running. Perhaps now is the time for England to declare that Test cricket is their priority.”
Mahela Jayawardene
The famous Sri Lankan batsman Jayawardene could be a slightly more left-field choice.
Despite his lack of international head coaching experience, Jayawardene has established himself as one of the world’s best up-and-coming coaches by leading Mumbai Indians to three IPL titles since 2017, as well as leading Southern Brave to victory in the maiden season of The Hundred.
It has left Key sufficiently impressed, as he previously told Sky Sports: “If you’re searching for someone from overseas, someone like Mahela Jayawardene would be excellent.”
His credentials suggest that he would be a better fit for the white-ball side. However, over the 2015-16 winter, Jayawardene impressed as a batting consultant with the England squad, and he has since signed on for a similar job in the Sri Lankan set-up.
Given England’s recent red-ball batting woes, they could do worse than hand over the baton to a man who has 11,814 Test runs to his name, Mahela suits well in England coach and captain contenders.
England coach and captain contenders: Next England captain?
In the quest of England coach and captain contenders, next we will at the captaincy suitors.
Ben Stokes
In the quest of England coach and captain contenders, Root’s vice-captain and the clear favourite to succeed him.
However, England’s talismanic all-rounder just recently returned from a long absence from cricket last year “to prioritise his mental welfare,” raising the question of whether the 30-year-old is ready to take up the Test captaincy at this time.
Stokes declared in January that he “never really had a desire to be a captain,” but that statement should be viewed in the context of a faithful Root supporter standing up for his captain and buddy after England’s humiliation in the Ashes.
Although the next captain of England is unlikely to be named until until the new head coach is named, Nasser Hussain has urged Key to speak with Stokes ahead of time.
“I’d travel up the A1 to speak to Ben Stokes to see where he’s at psychologically, physically, and if he wants the job and believes he’s in the right place to do it,” Hussain told Sky Sports News.
In the end, if Stokes answers affirmatively on those fronts, the job is unquestionably his.
Stuart Broad
In the list of England coach and captain contenders, Alternative candidates are few and far between, with many not even guaranteed a spot in the Test team, let alone the captaincy.
Broad was controversially overlooked for the Test tour of the West Indies, along with long-time bowling partner-in-crime James Anderson, and he seemed to distance himself from the role in his Mail on Sunday column.
“It’s not something I’ve given any attention to because, first and foremost, I don’t currently have a shirt in the England Test team and my concentration is very much on altering that by taking wickets for Nottinghamshire over the next few weeks,” Broad said.
“In fact, I would argue we are in a fairly unique position as far as selection for the Test team goes right now in that there are only two players [Root and Stokes] whose names you could write in pen on the scorecard.”
Although appointing the 35-year-old would not be the best long-term strategy, he is a long-admired student of the game and would be perfectly capable of leading the Test squad through this testing period – if he regains his place in the side first.
Sam Billings
Kent has a relationship.
His solitary Test cap came in the final Test of that disastrous Ashes tour, and only after injuries to Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow forced him to be drafted in as emergency cover.
Billings lost the gloves to Ben Foakes for the West Indies tour almost immediately, but Foakes didn’t exactly use the opportunity to secure his place in the side, so Billings might be back in contention come the summer.
From their time together in the Kent dressing room, Key will be well aware of Billings’ qualities as a player and a leader, and while that connection is no guarantee of a future at Test level, Billings recently stated, “I’ve got a taste of Test cricket now and it’s something I really want to pursue.”
Billings is in his sixth year as Kent captain, having guided the team to success in the T20 Blast last year, the County Championship Division Two title in 2018, and the One-Day Cup final the same year. Is it possible that his captaincy credentials will help him get a call-up to the England team?
The England coach and captain contenders are many but the final words rests on the ECB director and we wait for the names to be announced.