Gary Kirsten has declared his interest in coaching England's beleaguered Test team, with Chris Silverwood in the firing line after disappointing in the Ashes.
Current England coach and selector Silverwood has come under scrutiny after defeat to Australia, with the tourists already down and out at 3-0 in the series with two Tests left to play.
The former India and South Africa coach Kirsten, who led both of those sides to the top of the red-ball rankings, has twice been linked with the England role and is likely to be a favoured candidate again should Silverwood depart.
Former Proteas opener Kirsten expressed his interest in the job but insisted he would only take charge of the red-ball side if Eoin Morgan's dominant white-ball team would be coached by someone else.
"Listen, it [the England job] is always a consideration because it's a tremendous honour," Kirsten told iNews.
"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.
"And when international cricket boards get their head around the fact that they need to split coaching roles, then it becomes a consideration.
"Working with a Test side, or working with an ODI side is great. 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."
Indeed, the 54-year-old was a frontrunner to replace Trevor Bayliss when he parted ways with England in 2019 before Silverwood was eventually appointed as the Australian's successor.
Kirsten, who has previously built formidable Test sides with both India and South Africa, could be sensing another great rebuild should Silverwood be given his marching orders in the wake of another Ashes hammering.
"Interestingly, when I finished with India and I joined South Africa, we just looked at it and said 'our priority has to be Test match cricket'," he added. "I actually said to the CEO of Cricket South Africa that I was happy to just do the Test side because I felt it should be the number one side in the world.
"It had all the credentials to do that. The issue is that the different formats have the potential to cannibalise teams. You focus too much attention on one format and the other format takes the hit.
"It's not easy to get everything right. Look at Australia, they're now using a lot of players across the different formats.
"It [England] is an interesting one. I think it's a great project for someone to come in and take that Test side on. There's a lot that needs to be put in place to build this Test team out."
Kirsten is already on the ECB's payroll, having worked with the Welsh Fire in the inaugural Hundred competition, where conversations with some key figures surprised him as to the uncertainties and deficiencies within the English game.
"When I was over there I asked a number of coaches and players who their top six would be for the England Test side – and I never got the same answer from anyone," he continued.
"That's a good illustration of the issue you have. If you don't know what your top six is, or really have no idea of the best six batsmen in the country, then how can build consistency around guys who are going to come in and, when needed, make a play?"
Little bit of relief – Sam Curran and England bounce back in Antigua
Sam Curran refused to dwell too much on his weekend drubbing and believes he demonstrated his strength of character by helping England level their ODI series against the West Indies.
Curran recorded the most expensive figures by an England bowler in ODIs on Sunday as the Windies drew first blood in the three-match series, finishing with nought for 98 after 9.5 bruising overs.
He returned to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Wednesday and laid the groundwork for England’s six-wicket win, snaring top-order trio Keacy Carty, Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer.
After a redemptive display as he regained his moniker of “making things happen”, Curran felt there was nothing to be gained from focusing on the negatives as he drew an emphatic line under the experience.
“Any time you bowl in certain scenarios, you know you’re going to have a tough day but I think if you dwell on those things too much, I feel like it would have probably affected me here,” he said.
“The big, big messaging from this group was ‘you’ve got to learn from those situations’ and I feel like I’m a very strong character in that regard. I don’t feel like that’s going to affect me at all.
“Hopefully I just bounce back stronger and learn from those days that are tough. There’s a little bit of relief, I guess, it was a tough day the other day but it was fantastic to get the win here.
“I feel like I haven’t played a huge amount over the last couple of months, like any player it’s a bit of rhythm and confidence and fingers crossed we can keep looking forwards.”
Curran was axed from the side after three anonymous displays at the World Cup, where he averaged 11.66 with the bat and took two wickets and leaked 140 runs in 17.2 overs.
Scrutiny increased on his long-term role in a new-look ODI set-up after being taken down by the Windies but Curran was named Jos Buttler’s vice-captain ahead of this series, emphasising the premium England place on the 25-year-old.
“Jos mentioned before the series if he’d like me to do it, that’s a great honour,” he said. “I do feel like more of a senior player in the side so that was a nice, proud moment.
“I definitely feel like I can play all three formats. People can have their opinions that I might not be able to but I feel like I’m a player who likes to back myself in all those tough moments.
“The message is that it’s a new side at the moment and it’s looking forward for the next couple of years.
“I think the energy around the group has been fantastic as well. It feels like a lot of energy and buzz around the group right now and I feel quite a big part of that, so I feel that’s a good thing.”
Curran’s three for 33 saw the Windies slip to 23 for four and while there were knocks of 68 from Shai Hope and 63 by Sherfane Rutherford, Liam Livingstone snuffed out any chance of a substantial total.
He dismissed Rutherford then Hope en route to figures of three for 39, with Gus Atkinson and Rehan Ahmed chipping in with a couple of wickets apiece as the Windies stumbled to 202 all out in 39.4 overs.
Will Jacks thumped four sixes in his sparkling 73 off 72 deliveries but his dismissal left England on 116 for four and the game on a knife-edge as the out-of-form Jos Buttler strode to the crease.
Without a fifty in his previous 13 ODIs and out for single figures in five of his last eight innings, the batter often touted as England’s greatest in the white-ball formats rediscovered his Midas touch.
He was twice beaten on the outside edge early on by leg-spinner Yannic Cariah but gradually found some fluency, thumping three sixes in his unbeaten 58 from 45 balls, sharing an unbroken 90 with Harry Brook.
It was left to Brook to hit the winning runs, finishing on 43 not out, as England won with 103 balls to spare to set up a series decider in Barbados on Saturday.
“We take a lot of happiness from our team-mates doing well, especially our captain, it’s really exciting,” Curran added. “Jos did what we know Jos can do.”
The Windies are now the side on the ropes ahead of this weekend but captain Hope said: “This is gone, we can’t control a thing that happened in this game or even the first game. We have to look ahead.”
Harry Brook blocks himself from ‘negativity’ by withdrawing from social media
Harry Brook has shielded himself from the recent negativity around England from outside the camp by withdrawing from social media, believing his mental health has been boosted as a result.
Up until the last couple of months, Brook’s international career had been an unqualified success, with starring roles in the ‘Bazball’ revolution after gatecrashing the Test middle order while he was an ever-present in England’s T20 World Cup triumph last year.
By his own admission, Brook has found the one-day format a tougher nut to crack and averaged 28.16 in England’s grim World Cup campaign, but there are indications he is starting to find his feet after a promising innings of 71 in Antigua on Sunday.
England’s defeat in the first ODI against West Indies has deepened the sense of gloom but Brook has insulated himself from criticism by leaving his X and Instagram accounts to his handlers.
“I’ve been off social media for a while now, anything I stumble across, I delete it from the phone,” he said.
“I haven’t really seen any negativity, I think that’s helped my game, helped my mental health and everything to be off social media and seeing all the negativity that brings.”
Earlier this year, Brook followed up three low scores at the Indian Premier League with a century and took aim at his detractors, saying with an impish grin in an interview: “I’m glad I could shut them up.”
He was relentlessly targeted for abuse after struggling for the rest of the event and the Yorkshireman admitted he chose his words poorly.
“I was an idiot and I said that stupid thing in an interview which I regret a little bit,” he said.
“In India, you end up sitting in your hotel room, not much to do so I find myself just scrolling Instagram or Twitter or whatever and come across stuff you just don’t want to see.
“I thought it was the right idea to get off it. I’ve obviously still got Instagram and Twitter but thankfully I’ve got someone running it for me.”
Having been discarded by Sunrisers Hyderabad, Brook has entered into next year’s IPL auction, extending a hectic winter programme with England.
The 24-year-old revealed he was tired following the World Cup but had no inclination to skip the white-ball tour of the Caribbean, after which England play a five-Test series in India, starting next month.
“I probably felt like I needed a little bit of a break after the World Cup, to be honest,” Brook said.
“It wears you out. Obviously we didn’t have a great competition as well, which didn’t help.
“To have a little two-week break at home was refreshing. But I’m happy to be out here, to be honest. I feel like I’ve got some things I need to work on especially in one-day cricket.”
Brook, who had no hesitation in “straight away” signing a three-year England central contract in October, is one of the country’s few three-format players and has no plans for slowing down.
For now, though, he is keen to finesse his batting in ODIs. While he has now played 13 times for England in the format – all in 2023 – his 50-over opportunities for Yorkshire in recent years have been limited as the domestic competition clashes, controversially, with The Hundred.
View this post on Instagram“I want to play as much as I can for England,” Brook added.
“Until the summer I hadn’t played anything (in ODIs). I was just trying to figure out, find my feet in the format really and try to find a tempo with the way I wanted to bat.
“England have been renowned for being an aggressive side but there’s always so much time. The other day was a perfect example of that.
“It was about nine overs from the end that I got out and I felt like I was sat up on the balcony watching for about three hours. There’s so much more time than you actually think.”
England are unlikely to ring the changes on Wednesday despite a four-wicket defeat at the weekend for a match, on a fresh pitch, they must win to send the series to a decider in Barbados on Saturday.
Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson handed their first central contracts by ECB
Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been handed their first central contracts by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
England Women have once again issued 18 full-time deals, with the retired Katherine Sciver-Brunt and the dropped Freya Davies the only omissions from last year’s list.
Bouchier is rewarded following a season that ended with her cracking a career-best 95 against Sri Lanka in the final ODI of the campaign, while Gibson made her debut in the T20 leg of this summer’s Ashes contest.
Issy Wong remains in the group despite a difficult year that saw high expectations meet mixed form on the field.
In addition, supplementary development contracts have been handed to rising stars Mahika Gaur, Lauren Filer and Bess Heath, all of whom broke into the international setup over the summer.
While the men’s side moved recently to a system of multi-year contracts, with several leading players tied into two and three-year arrangements, the women’s squad remains on 12-month agreements.
Yet the ECB has announced that the terms include “significant structural improvements” as well as increased bonuses for victories over the strongest opposition and the previously-announced upgrade to match fees, which are now equal with the men’s team.
England director of women’s cricket, Jonathan Finch said: “Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been part of our group over the summer, have performed well and will be important players for England moving forward.
“The introduction of development contracts is a key step for us and allows us to support a wider group of players in their ongoing development and we will work closely with the regions to manage the players’ development and workloads.
“After a record-breaking Ashes summer, we have a really exciting 12 months of cricket ahead and we feel this group of players will form the foundations of our side that will take us through various bilateral series and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.”
England conclude their 2023 calendar on tour in India, with three T20s at Mumbai’s storied Wankhede Stadium this week followed by a one-off Test at the DY Patil Stadium.
For many, including Sarah Glenn, it is a first chance to experience cricket in India, where England last toured in 2019.
As a leg-spinner, Glenn is particularly keen to explore her game in a nation that has produced some of the finest slow bowlers ever.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s series opener, Glenn said: “I’m really excited. I’ve never played in India before or in front of Indian crowds, so it’s something new for me.
“It’s something I’ve always looked forward to and wanted to be part of.
“This tour is more than just games, it’s a chance to develop my game here, learn off others with how they go about it and see where I can take my spin bowling.
“I’m always looking to improve, so I’ll have a play around with it and see what is the best way to take wickets.”
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