Nasser Hussain believes there are few better options for the vacant England white-ball manager job than “serial winner” Andy Flower – but doubts whether he can get the job.
Matthew Mott has resigned as head coach after two inconsistent years. Mott led England to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup but has underperformed in the last two major limited-overs tournaments.
The search for Mott’s successor is underway after England men’s cricket coach Rob Key said a “new direction” was needed, with the Champions Trophy in February the next target.
Matthew Mott has stepped down as England men’s white-ball team manager.
Head coach Marcus Trescosick has been appointed on an interim basis.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 30, 2024
Hussain believes the England and Wales Cricket Board may have the perfect candidate for The Hundred. Flower coached the national team for five years between 2009 and 2014 and is currently in charge of Trent Rockets.
“There are some really good candidates – Kumar Sangakkara, Andy Flower, who has had a string of wins in England and franchise cricket,” Sky Sports pundit Hussain told the PA news agency.
“Some people might see (Flower) as a regressive move. ‘Don’t go back, you’re going back to the ex-England manager’. But I think Andy has moved on.
“Andy was very much against the franchise and the IPL, but that was a long time ago. Now he has travelled the world, won most of the franchises and done some really good things.
“He’s a great coach. You can see that on his resume, and if Rob Key pulled out Andy Flowers’ resume, there’s not a lot better to choose from. But if Andy wants to do it, he can.
“And if England see it as a bit of a step backwards and want someone younger, fresher, I don’t know, but I’ll leave that decision to Rob Key.
“I look for the best person for the job. It’s very simple. I worked with Kumar and (he) has a great brain. I played with Andy Flowers and saw a great player-coach, a great person.
“Look at Brendan McCollum, the impact he’s had on the Test side. He’s been brilliant. They’re all very good candidates and I say this over and over again, the job is not to find candidates, it’s to find candidates who actually want to do the job.”
Hussain, who captained England between 1999 and 2003, supported Key’s decision to give Buttler the England captaincy for now.
But he added: “Joss is a very smart and alert young man. He will know that if they keep losing, he will be next in line.
“I think that argument-coach dynamic is the problem with Butler and Mott.
“Butler is a soft-spoken, calm and quiet person, so (as a director) I think he needed a more dynamic personality.
“(Eoin) Morgan worked with (Trevor) Bayliss because Morgan was a very influential captain and a dynamic person.
“I think England need a more proactive coach to take the team forward.”
:: Watch every ball of The Hundred live on Sky Sports or a streaming service from July 23 to August 18.
