"He was very anti-franchise and IPL, but that was a very long time ago" - Nasser Hussain makes a case for Andy Flower to return as England coach
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain feels that Andy Flower is an ideal candidate to take over from Matthew Mott as the nation's new white-ball coach. The former Zimbabwe cricketer was head coach of England from 2009 to 2014, a period when England rise to the top of the rankings in Test cricket, and win the T20 World Cup.
England are looking for a revamp after their disappointing displays in recent white-ball campaigns. Following their exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) took the decision to part ways with Matthew Mott, but retained Jos Buttler as skipper.
Flower is one of the most renowned coaches in the T20 franchise circuit around the globe. He has managed teams in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and the International League T20 (ILT20) in recent times with great success.
“There are some really good candidates, there is Kumar Sangakkara, there is Andy Flower, who is a serial winner with England and (in) franchise cricket. Some would view (Flower) as a backward step – ‘never go back, you are going back to a former England coach’ – but I think Andy has moved on. Andy was very anti-franchise and IPL, but that was a very long time ago. Now he has travelled the world, winning for most franchises and doing some really good things," Nasser Hussain told the PA News Agency.
“He is a brilliant coach. You just have to look at his CV and, if Rob Key got Andy Flower’s CV out, there is hardly a better option than that, but again it is if Andy wants to do it. And if England see it as a bit of a backward step and they want someone younger, fresher, I don’t know? But I’ll leave those decisions to Rob Key," he added.
Marcus Trescothick is handling the affairs of the white-ball side on an interim basis. The ECB wish to appoint the next candidate ahead of England's white-ball series against Australia in September.
"You probably needed a more dynamic personality as head coach" - Nasser Hussain
Hussain also explored the option of current red-ball coach Brendon McCullum taking over the white-ball teams as well. The former New Zealand international player has served as the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Trinbago Knight Riders in the past.
“Brendon McCullum, look at the impact he’s had on the Test side, brilliant. They are all very good candidates and I repeat the job is not so much finding the candidate, it is finding the candidate that actually wants to do the job," Hussain opined.
The former skipper also wanted the incoming head coach to have a dynamic personality to counter Buttler's calm demeanor.
"Jos is a very switched on and smart lad. He’ll know if they continue to lose, he’ll be the next one in line. That dynamic of captain-coach, I think that was the issue with Buttler and with Mott. With Buttler being such a softly spoken, calm and quiet individual, you probably needed a more dynamic personality (as head coach)," Hussain concluded.
Kumar Sangakkara recently revealed that he is yet to be approached by the ECB regarding taking over the white-ball coaching role.