(Reuters) – Former India and South Africa coach Gary Kirsten has said he would be interested in coaching England’s beleaguered test side as long as the role does not involve coaching the limited over teams as well.
British media reported England coach Chris Silverwood’s job is on the line after losing the Ashes in Australia, with the tourists in dire straits at 3-0 down in the series with two more tests to go.
Kirsten, a former opening batsman, led both India and South Africa to the top of the test rankings as coach and the 54-year-old said coaching England would be a “tremendous honour”.
“I’ve walked this journey twice now (when England recruited new coaches in 2015 and 2019) and I’ve always made it clear that I would never commit to doing all formats,” Kirsten told i News.
“And when international cricket boards get their head around the fact that they need to split coaching roles, then it becomes a consideration.”
England won the 2019 ODI World Cup on home soil but the test team has failed to fire and find themselves seventh in the World Test Championship table after losing five matches this year –including two home defeats by India.
“Listen, the England ODI side is set up, you’re the best ODI side in the world at the moment. It’s a project that has been well-thought out, you’ve got consistency in the players that have been picked,” Kirsten added.
“Your test side has battled for a while but it would be a really lovely project to get that going.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; edting by Pritha Sarkar)
