Gary Kirsten has been approached by the ECB to be the new head coach of the England Test team, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper also said former Australia coach Justin Langer is no longer in contention for the job due to reservations over whether he would work well with Ben Stokes, who is set to be appointed England Test captain.
Kirsten almost got the England job in 2019, but with then director of cricket Ashley Giles wanting one man to coach both the Test and white-ball teams, it went to Chris Silverwood instead. Silverwood was sacked following England’s 4-0 Ashes series loss in Australia.
The Telegraph says Giles’ replacement, Rob Key, will split the coaching roles.
While Kirsten declined to comment when approached by the newspaper, he has publicly declared his interest in coaching the England Test team.
“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 at the end of last year.
“And when international cricket boards get their head around the fact that they need to split coaching roles, then it becomes a consideration.
“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.
“Your Test side has battled for a while but it would be a really lovely project to get that going.”
Kirsten is currently working as a batting coach with the Gujarat Lions in the IPL.
