Matthew Mott has stepped down from the England men's white ball head coach role after two years in charge, leaving the ECB to search for his replacement. 

Marcus Trescothick has been appointed to the job on an interim basis, and will preside over the side until the end of the summer. However, the search for a permanent replacement before England head out to the Caribbean at the beginning of November has now begun. 

Who are the frontrunners?

The bookies favourite for the role is Andrew Flintoff. The former allrounder has been largely absent from roles within the game following his retirement from playing, but became a member of England's coaching staff last summer after recovering from injuries he sustained in a serious car accident while filming for BBC's Top Gear.

Since then, he has been a part of England's setup on multiple fronts. He joined England on their T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies earlier in the summer, and also acted as a mentor to England Lions in their training camp in Abu Dhabi last winter. His current position is his first as head coach, working with Northern Superchargers in the ongoing edition of the Hundred.

Part of the reason Flintoff is favourite for the job is the backing of Rob Key, who is a close personal friend of Flintoff's and the one leading the search to fill the vacancy. In an interview with The Telegraph earlier this year, Key said it would be "stupid" not to consider Flintoff for the role when it became available. "Without question, I think he would be an excellent head coach," Key said of Flintoff. "Who knows where he ends up in the future. He will be a worthy candidate going forward."

However, despite that backing of Key, it was reported yesterday (July 30) that Flintoff is unlikely to be considered for the role at this stage. 

Another candidate for the role is the man who's taken over the job temporarily, Trescothick. The former top-order batter has been part of England's coaching staff across formats since 2021 and has also stated his ambition to be England head coach one day. Trescothick also has the advantage of already holding a role within the setup. He's also previously held an assistant coach role at Somerset.

Jonathan Trott has also been floated as potential head coach material. Since he retired from playing in 2018, Trott has held several roles both as an assistant and head coach. His most recent assignment was as head coach of Afghanistan, occupying that role from the end of 2022 until 2024, when his already extended contact comes to an end. Afghanistan have enjoyed significant success during Trott's tenure, finishing in sixth place in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, registering notable wins over Pakistan and England. Afghanistan also reached the semi-finals of the recent T20 World Cup, reaching the knockout stages of an ICC tournament for the first time in their history. 

It was announced earlier this week that Trott has been appointed as head coach of Pretoria Capitals in the SA20. England will play a T20I series against India next January, which will clash with the second-half of the SA20, indicating thw chances of Trott succeeding Mott as England coach are slim.

Outside bets

The most prominent non-English name in the mix is Michael Hussey. The former Australia batter is currently coaching Welsh Fire men, and has worked as batting coach for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Hussey ruled himself out of the race to replace Rahul Dravid as India men's head coach earlier this year, stating that being a full-time international coach was 'not currently on his radar'.

James Foster has previously been earmarked as a future England head coach. He has held coaching positions in franchises all over the world and previously been part of both England's and New Zealand's coaching staff. He currently holds a position as an assistant coach with London Spirit men in the Hundred, having left as Northern Superchargers men's head coach following their disappointing season last year.

The second Australian option slightly lower down the card of candidates is Simon Katich. Katich was linked to the England Test head coach role before Brendon McCullum took over in 2022 as well. During his playing career, Katich spent a significant amount of time playing county cricket, playing for Durham, Yorkshire, Hampshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire. Since retiring, he has filled numerous coaching roles, including as head coach of Manchester Originals in The Hundred and as RCB head coach in the IPL.

Wildcards

There have also been several wildcard names mentioned in the last few weeks as rumours of Mott's departure intensified. One of those is Kumar Sangakkara, who shot to the top of the bookies odds yesterday (July 29). Sangakkara has worn many hats within the game since his retirement. He worked as a selector for Sri Lanka before becoming MCC president in 2019. He has also been head coach of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL since 2021. Sangakkara also lives in England, and recently stepped out onto the field in a club cricket league in Dorset. However, picking apart his contractual commitments with various franchises could make it tricky for him to accept the job.

Many fans and pundits alike's favourite for the role would be World Cup-winning captain, Eoin Morgan. Morgan has been consistently linked with the role since before the end of his playing career. However, he distanced himself from the role last week, stating that "the time is not right" for him to consider switching from broadcasting to coaching in his post-playing career.

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