Gary Kirsten Shows Interest To Become England’s Next Coach

Former India head coach Gary Kirsten has declared his interest in becoming head coach of England’s Test team, with incumbent Chris Silverwood likely to step down after the ongoing Ashes debacle. Incidentally, Joe Root & Co has lost the high-profile series within the first three matches.

Incidentally, Kirsten has applied for the role twice previously, in 2015 and 2019. He has not coached an international team since 2013, citing family commitments, but has held roles with various T20 teams including Royal Challengers Bangalore, Hobart Hurricanes, and Durban Heat.

Gary Kirsten, who recently coached Welsh Fire in The Hundred, said on Thursday that he would be keen to take over as England’s coach on the provision that the roles were split between red- and white-ball formats. Speaking to i newspaper, the former South Africa cricketer said:

“Listen, it [the England job] is always a consideration because it’s a tremendous honour. I’ve walked this journey twice now 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.”

Gary Kirsten added:

“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.

“There’s a lot that needs to be put in place to build this Test team out” – Gary Kirsten on England Test side

Gary Kirsten further stated it will be fascinating to take up England’s job in the red-ball format considering that there will be a lot of work that needs to be done to put the side back on track.

“Your Test side has battled for a while but it would be a really lovely project to get that going. 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,” Gary Kirsten added.