According to Darren Gough, England Test skipper Joe Root tried to persuade Shane Warne to coach his team ahead of the 2021/22 Ashes.

Warne, who passed away last month, was repeatedly asked by Root to work with the England Test side ahead of the Ashes this winter, according to Gough. Speaking on TalkSport, Gough remembers how “he [Warne] wanted to do it [coach England]” but says his loyalty towards Australia got in the way.

“Joe Root, he tried to persuade Warnie to coach England in the build-up to the Ashes last winter. And Warnie, you could imagine the smile on his face. You could see he wanted to do it, but he also had that loyalty to Australia.

“But Joe kept asking him and asking him and asking him. And I thought he was getting closer and closer and closer, and he said, ‘Let me think about it, and I’ll give you a call.’ And then, two days after the tournament finished, Warnie texted me saying, ‘Have you got Joe’s number, by the way? I forgot to get his number.’ And I thought, ‘he’s gonna do it, he’s gonna do it’, and obviously it didn’t happen.”

"@Root66 tried to persuade Warney to coach England in the build-up to the Ashes." 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

"You could see he wanted to do it." 🙌

"2 days after he asked for Joe's number." 👀@DGoughie reveals how Shane Warne almost coached England in the winter

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— talkSPORT Cricket (@Cricket_TS) March 31, 2022

England axed head coach Chris Silverwood following their 0-4 Ashes defeat and are yet to appoint a permanent successor, with Warne throwing his hat in the ring to take up the job shortly before his death. England have won just one of their last 17 Tests, and have not won a series in their last five attempts. Paul Collingwood has taken over as head coach in the interim.