Paul Collingwood has been named as interim head coach for England 's tour of West Indies next month, giving the ECB some breathing space before they appoint a permanent replacement for Chris Silverwood.
There is no shortage of candidates for Silverwood's replacement, with Justin Langer 's departure from the Australian team adding another big name into the mix.
However, the ECB have plenty to consider before they settle on an appointment, with some coaches seemingly reluctant to commit to overseeing both the white-ball and red-ball teams due to England's hectic fixture schedule and a divergence between Test and limited-overs teams.
With plenty of factors at play, here's a rundown of the pros and cons of each of the leading candidates for the role.
You can also have your say on who you feel should take charge in our poll and in the comments below.
Justin Langer
Langer put an end to months of speculation over his future when he resigned as Australia coach on Saturday.
Despite leading Australia to a 4-0 Ashes victory and the World T20 crown last year, Langer was only offered a short-term contract to stay in the role, amid media speculation that his demanding coaching style was not appreciated by players.
Langer may be a demanding taskmaster as a coach - famously having a face like thunder when Australia were only able to retain the Ashes rather than win them outright in England in 2019 - but his track record at international level speaks for itself.
He rebuilt an Australian side that had been shattered by sandpaper-gate and has restored their reputation as one of the most intimidating sides in world cricket, as well as bringing in younger players such as Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green.
Having taken charge of both Australia’s red-ball and white-ball teams, Langer would also provide an antidote to those who suggest the coaching roles should be split by the ECB.
Yet last year’s series defeat to an injury-hit India side prompted plenty of questions over Langer’s leadership style that were never really silenced before his departure, despite continued success.
Pros: A great track record, both as a player and a coach, and the sort of disciplinarian that England may need in the dressing room.
Cons: Question marks over whether England players will take to him, especially with plenty having friends in the Australia dressing room. Having just left a highly-pressurised role, it would also be a big ask for him to jump straight back into another on the other side of the world.
Alec Stewart
Stewart has been tipped for the role by many pundits, such as his former England and Surrey teammate Mark Ramprakash.
Having played 133 Tests and 170 ODIs, the former England captain certainly has a wealth of experience on the international circuit as a player, although his coaching CV is purely limited to Surrey.
He has held the role of director of cricket at the Oval since 2014, overseeing the emergence of England batters Rory Burns and Ollie Pope.
Burns clearly thinks highly of the 58-year-old, turning to both Stewart and his brother Neil for advice after failure against Ireland in 2019 left plenty fearing for the batter’s international future, and that paid dividends, with the Surrey skipper hitting an Ashes century in his next England game.
Stewart’s history in the domestic game will also mean he is well-placed to give opinions on which England hopefuls can make the grade in a way that some other names on this list may not be able to.
However, he may well have designs on the role of ECB managing director, with his experience having been more at an executive level.
Pros: A legendary figure of English cricket, who knows England’s players well and also has the sort of big project experience needed to take charge of the team.
Cons: He’s not been involved in international cricket since 2003, and Surrey’s financial muscle means there’s an argument they should have won more under his leadership. He may also have more interest in the managing director role.
Jason Gillespie
A popular figure in world cricket, Gillespie was previously tipped for the England job in 2019 when Trevor Bayliss departed.
The former Australia fast bowler is familiar with English cricket, having achieved success during four years in charge of Yorkshire, winning the County Championship twice, and later taking over at Sussex for two years.
He helped develop plenty of players at Yorkshire, getting runs out of Jonny Bairstow and reinventing Liam Plunkett, and he was also one of the few people connected to Yorkshire during that period to emerge with honour from the racism scandal that has engulfed the club, with Azeem Rafiq calling the 46-year-old ‘amazing’.
A champion of county cricket, many believe Gillespie to be the perfect candidate for the role, but he is now settled back in Australia with a young family and is currently coach of South Australia.
Pros: He’s knowledgeable about county cricket, has a modern management style and a record at improving teams.
Cons: Gillespie is now settled in Australia and may not be looking to take on a commitment the size of the England job. A principled man, he has also previously spoken about not wanting to disrespect current employers by applying for jobs - meaning England would have to come calling if they want him.
Gary Kirsten
Former South Africa batter Kirsten was pipped to the England role by Silverwood in 2019, with the ECB opting to promote from within.
Yet Kirsten’s coaching record speaks for itself, winning the 2011 World Cup with India before leading South Africa to the top of the Test rankings.
Kirsten is well-known to the ECB after missing out on the England role due to an underwhelming interview, as he is also a coach in the Hundred, alongside other franchise roles across the globe.
The 54-year-old has not coached in international cricket since 2013 due to family commitments but, during the Ashes, made no secret of his interest in the England job during various media interviews - something that did not sit well with some pundits due to the fact Silverwood was still in his role.
Yet Kirsten has also said he would only be willing to take the role if he could focus on Test cricket, with a separate coach taking over the white-ball side - something the ECB have so far been resistant to.
Pros: A proven track record at international level and clearly keen on the job, having already spoken about what he would do if he was in charge.
Cons: Unwilling to coach the England one-day teams, and the fact he was looked over in 2019 may prompt the ECB to feel there are better candidates available elsewhere.
Paul Collingwood
Former England all-rounder Collingwood has been involved in England’s coaching set-up since September 2015, and he has been named interim coach for next month’s series against West Indies.
The first man to captain England to an ICC trophy, Collingwood is highly thought of at the ECB, and recently oversaw the white-ball defeat to West Indies in the absence of Silverwood, who was taking a scheduled break after the Ashes.
Collingwood has been involved in shaping England’s limited-overs revolution and he would likely be in the running for the white-ball coaching role should England opt to split their coaching staff.
However, if he performs well as interim Test coach, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a strong series could see him contention for both roles.
Pros: Well-known in the England set-up and a highly-rated cricket brain. Already has the experience of coaching England.
Cons: Not the most high-profile of appointments and the ECB may well be keen for a fresh start following the decision to promote from within when giving Silverwood the job, particularly with England’s coaching structure coming in for criticism during the Ashes.
Richard Dawson
This vacancy may come a little too soon for Dawson, but the 41-year-old is quietly making a name for himself in English cricket.
Capped seven times as a player by England, Dawson spent a year working under Gillespie at Yorkshire before being appointed head coach of Gloucestershire in 2015, becoming the second-youngest head coach on the county circuit.
In Dawson’s first year as coach, Gloucestershire won their first major silverware for 11 years, being crowned Royal London One-Day Cup champions.
Dawson then led unfancied Glos to promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2019, when he also began working with the ECB, travelling to Mumbai for a specialist training camp.
After taking charge of England Lions, Dawson departed Gloucestershire in 2021 to become the ECB’s Elite Performance Pathway coach, and this month coached England to the under-19s World Cup final.
He looks set to make the step up to England’s senior coaching set-up on an interim basis until the ECB appoint a new coach.
Dawson is unlikely to be in the running for the high-profile vacancy at the moment, but his track record is already impressive.
Pros: Strong track record of improving players and coaching teams to success in all formats.
Cons: Relatively low-profile and probably not yet experienced enough to be handed the main role.
Ricky Ponting
Nasser Hussain and Rob Key have praised Australia legend Ponting as having the sort of no-nonsense approach that is needed by England.
Whilst he is still in his early days as a coach, he has achieved success with Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the IPL, and he also received rave reviews when working in the Australia set-up.
His playing record will always command respect in the dressing room and, in England, his stints in the commentary box with Sky have shown Ponting is clearly a deep thinker when it comes to cricket.
Yet those stints have also led to criticism of England captain Joe Root, who is set to continue as skipper, and, as a fiercely proud Australian, he may not be interested in the England.
The 47-year-old is also heavily tipped to takeover as Australia coach after Langer’s departure.
Pros: A legendary figure of the game who has also won praise for his coaching. His approach could be what’s needed to improve English cricket.
Cons: He’s been publicly critical of Joe Root’s captaincy and may not be interested in the England job for a variety of reasons, including rivalry and time commitment.
Mahela Jayawardene
Sri Lanka legend Jayawardene has made a name for himself as one of the top limited overs coaches in the world, taking charge of the likes of Mumbai Indians and Southern Brave.
He was also credited with raising Sri Lanka’s standards during a brief coaching stint at the T20 World Cup last year.
Whilst his coaching experience has mostly been in limited-overs, Jayawardene played 149 Tests for his country and is currently also a coaching consultant for Sri Lanka.
His laid back coaching style could be of interest to England’s players but, having cut short his stay at the World T20 due to bubble fatigue, it’s difficult to imagine him taking the England head coach role in its current guise due to the time commitments.
Pros: A hugely successful career as both a player and a coach and he’s known to the ECB due to his Hundred gig.
Cons: Not a lot of red-ball coaching experience and question marks over whether he would be interested in taking charge of both Test and limited-over sides.
Mike Hesson
New Zealand’s longest-serving coach, Hesson dramatically changed the fortunes of the Black Cats, leading them to the 2015 World Cup final and series wins over the likes of England and India during his six years in charge before resigning in 2018, a year before his contract was due to expire.
Whilst New Zealand have continued to go from strength to strength after his departure, reaching the 2019 World Cup final and winning last year’s World Test Championship, it is debatable whether this continued success would have been achieved had Hesson not laid the foundations.
Hesson was able to improve the fortunes of both the Black Cats’ white-ball and red-ball teams, which means he has plenty of experience of multi-format coaching, should the ECB opt against splitting the head coach role.
Pros: A great track record with New Zealand and available now after leaving Royal Challengers Bangalore in November.
Cons: Not the most high-profile of appointments.
Andy Flower
Former England coach Flower has been tipped by some to retake the reigns and rebuild the side like he did over a decade ago.
The strict disciplinarian coached England to number one in the world and a superb away Ashes victory, helping to create one of the Three Lions’ all-time great teams.
After stepping down as coach in 2014, Flower remained involved with the ECB until 2019, taking the position of technical director of elite coaching, which saw him work with the likes of Ollie Pope in England’s youth set-up.
Whilst Flower’s success led England to new heights, there is also no ignoring the messy end to his time as head coach, including a shock whitewash in the 2013/14 Ashes.
The Edge documentary revealed the mental impact his demanding style had on players over time, with a high-profile fall-out with Kevin Pietersen also unsavoury.
Pros: Already achieved success with England in the past.
Cons: His style may not be suited to England’s current team, and it is only just over two years since he left the ECB.
Have your say over who should take charge of England in the comments below.
