It is hard to take seriously the notion that a red-ball reset truly begins today for England, when so many of those on the ground in Antigua have the word ‘interim’ in their job titles.
Yes, England have made some bold selection calls that gives the Test team a different (weaker?) look after the Ashes. But the meaningful, permanent change is yet to come.
This week, Andrew Strauss, the man to whom England habitually turns when a team needs rebuilding, will put out an advert for a director of men’s cricket, or words to that effect. It is the role he filled well until 2018, when his late wife Ruth’s health required his full attention, and would be well-suited to filling again but does not want.
Ashley Giles had it in the intervening period, with the main issue being that the remit was hazy. Giles seemed to strip back plenty of what Strauss built, handing too much power to the head coach, Chris Silverwood, who, along with Giles, has been fired.
The successful candidate will be tasked, alongside Strauss, with filling a number of other roles: a head coach (or probably two, with a split along format lines) is required, plus a batting coach. A return to the independent selection model that Giles scrapped also seems certain. A measure of the task Silverwood faced is that he will likely be replaced by three people.
All this comes at a time when there is a power vacuum at the top of the ECB, which has been without a chair for six months now (six months that have featured no shortage of drama for the game) — and there is no imminent sign of white smoke at Lord’s.
It is proving a difficult post for board member Ron Kalifa to fill after the messy end to Ian Watmore’s short reign; at £150,000 for two days’ work weekly it is well paid, but it is a hands-on, demanding task.
Strauss has distanced himself from this role, too; it is expected that he will continue in his advisory role while combining charity and business work with looking after his sons. It appears that it is too soon to rule out outstanding candidate, Surrey chair Richard Thompson.
The widespread expectation is that chief executive Tom Harrison, into his eighth year in post, will leave in 2022, once his controversial bonus lands and a new chair is in place. A CEO to complement that chair will then be found to guide the game through the heart of this decade.
Ready candidates for that role should be easier to locate. Four Englishmen have been CEOs at Test-playing nations in the last year (Nick Hockley, Australia; Johnny Grave, West Indies; Warren Deutrom, Ireland and Wasim Khan, formerly of Pakistan). There are options in the county game, if not internally, too.
The names in the frame for England
Director of cricket
Alec Stewart, 58: Surrey supremo is happy in his work and family situation makes extensive travel tricky. Could be lured by the call of duty.
Marcus North, 42: Knows county game and ECB dynamics from time as player and administrator, and the international game too. Fresh ideas likely.
Mo Bobat, 39: Former PE teacher who works in England’s pathways. Has impressed players and his non-playing background can provide perspective.
Ed Smith, 44: Always had eye on this role and would have a point to prove. A clear communicator and strategic thinker but rubs people up wrong way.
Head coach
Simon Katich, 46: Impressive playing career, where his strength of personality was on show. Has done well as coach in franchise leagues. Also a candidate for director of cricket.
Tom Moody, 56: Has coached internationally and all over in domestic game. Getting insight into ECB as the Oval Invincibles coach. Also a candidate for director of cricket.
Justin Langer, 51: Is clearly a good coach with a shelf life, but whether he would want another gig this big or the players could handle him remains to be seen.
Mahela Jayawardene, 44: Impressive coaching CV centred on T20, but one of the great Test batters who would bring outside ideas. Clashed with Root as a player.
That likely leaves seven important roles around the England team in flux, all of whom will have differing degrees of influence over what a reset looks like: from whether Joe Root should be captain and James Anderson and Stuart Broad should play another Test to when county cricket is played and what ball is used. Steering the ship should be the director of cricket. The candidates here will come from all over the world, and Strauss is unafraid of looking left-field.
Under Strauss’s nose, there are four men in county cricket with the credentials: Alec Stewart (Surrey), Andy Hurry (Somerset), Paul Farbrace (Warwickshire) and Marcus North (Durham). North, the former Australia batter, might just be the best placed.
There has been little mention this time of the former captains Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain, now happily ensconced in the commentary box.
Mo Bobat, rated by Strauss and some at the ECB, is an internal candidate, while analyst Nathan Leamon was mentioned in dispatches last time the job was available but has plenty on his plate with England’s white-ball and franchise gigs.
An intriguing idea would be the return of Ed Smith, unceremoniously dumped as selector by Giles last year. He is keen and clear of thought, if controversial, given his lack of popularity among players who wrote to the ECB asking for his removal.
The coaching roles being split should mean good candidates are interested but, with Paul Collingwood favourite to take on the white-ball role, the Test options are likely to come from overseas.
Justin Langer’s name will not go away while the recently-deposed Australian is kicking his heels, and Mahela Jayawardena or Stephen Fleming (both working in The Hundred) make nice ideas. A batting focus, for obvious reasons, seems preferable, and South Africans Graham Ford and Gary Kirsten tick boxes in that regard.
A couple of candidates will have a very strong shot at both director of cricket and head coach roles: Simon Katich, another former West Australian batter, and Tom Moody, who has moved with the times. As ever, an Australian accent opens a lot of doors at times of crisis in English cricket.
