Gary Kirsten shows interest in becoming England’s coach in Test cricket

Former South Africa cricketer Gary Kirsten has shown a lot of keenness to become England’s Test coach in the future. The southpaw has had an illustrious journey as a coach, having guided India, then captained by MS Dhoni, to World Cup glory back in 2011. Thereafter, the retired batter coached the Proteas national team from 2011 to 2013.

Although he hasn’t been associated with any national team since 2013, he has plied his trade in various T20 leagues around the world, having coached the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL and the Durban Heat in the MSL.

Kirsten had previously applied for the role of the head coach of England, but failed to make the cut. In 2019, he was one of the favourites to take over from Trevor Bayliss. However, Chris Silverwood ended up getting the job with the Three Lions.

While he sounded eager to become England’s Test coach, Kirsten backed off from taking the role in all three formats of the game.

I would never commit to doing all formats, says Gary Kirsten

“Listen, it [the England job] is always a consideration because it’s a tremendous honour,” Kirsten told the i newspaper.

“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.

“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,” he stated.

“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,” Kirsten added.

Silverwood, of late, has come under a lot of fire after England’s abysmal performance in the ongoing Ashes. The Brits have already conceded an unassailable 3-0 lead to Australia in the five-match Test series.