Interim head coach Paul Collingwood with now former Test captain Joe Root and his expected replacement Ben Stokes
(Picture: Getty Images)England’s men’s teams are to operate with separate red and white-ball head coaches, the ECB have confirmed.
Interviews for the two new positions will begin in just a fortnight’s time in the hope that a new red-ball coach will be in place by the time New Zealand come to Lord’s for the first Test of the summer on June 2.
Chris Silverwood, who lost his job in the aftermath of this winter’s Ashes hammering in Australia, and predecessors Trevor Bayliss and Peter Moores all oversaw both teams but England’s exhausting international schedule means many have been advocating for a return to split-roles.
The contrasting state of England’s teams across the formats is also thought to have been a factor, with the two new men facing markedly different tasks.
Under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy, England’s white-ball sides are in fine shape, the defending 50-over world champions and currently ranked second in T20 cricket, expected to be among the favourites for another World Cup in the shorter format later this year.
By contrast, the Test side have won just one of their last 17 matches and currently sit bottom of the ICC’s Test World Championship.
The widely expected move became all but a certainty when Rob Key - an advocate for split roles - was made the new managing director earlier this month, with England set to employ a structure last used when Ashley Giles led the ODI and T20 teams between 2012 and 201, during the latter part of Andy Flower’s Test stewardship.
On Tuesday, the ECB published job descriptions for both roles, with applications open until May 6 and first-round interviews to follow on May 9 and 10.
Paul Collingwood took interim charge of the Test side during the series defeat in the West Indies last month but could still be a contender for the white-ball role, while a host of international names, including Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Mahela Jayawardene and Gary Kirsten - a contender when Silverwood was given the job in 2019 - have all been linked with the vacancies.
