Reports: Matthew Mott emerges as frontrunner for England's white-ball coaching job

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has decided to bring a unique transformation in their coaching setup by hiring two coaches. While one will be guiding the Test team, the other will take care of the limited-overs setup. They have zeroed in on former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum for the Test role while the search is on for the white-ball coach.

While it has been learned that former all-rounder Paul Collingwood, who had served as England’s interim coach for the West Indies tour earlier this year, is one of the frontrunners, England Cricket have got another candidate in Matthew Mott, who is the head coach of the Australian women’s team currently.

According to reports in ESPNcricinfo, “Mott has been preferred by the interview panel over former England allrounder Paul Collingwood, who was the primary contender having stood in as head coach on the recent tours to the Caribbean.”

Mott has tremendous coaching experience, having coached New South Wales, Glamorgan, and Australia A. Apart from that, he also served as an assistant coach for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2009 edition of the IPL.  The 48-year-old has been involved in the Australian women’s team coaching set-up since 2015, where the Meg Lanning-led side has gone on to win the 2018 and 2020 editions of the Women’s T20 World Cup as well as the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.

With a tough schedule coming up for the Three Lions including the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, the split coaching role could go a long way in benefitting the players and the overall management of the team.