Vaughan calls on ECB to hire Kirsten

Barnaby Read 14:36 29/03/2014
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  • Former England captain Michael Vaughan has called on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to do whatever it takes to hire Gary Kirsten as head coach, even on a short-term basis.

    “I’d get on a plane to Cape Town, knock on Gary Kirsten’s door and say; ‘What’s it going to take for you to coach England for two years?',” Vaughan told Sport360° at an OSN event in Dubai where he is commentating on the World T20.

    “I don’t believe that ‘no’ is a possible answer. I’d want him to take England to the World Cup next year and the next Ashes series and then step aside. You’d only want him for 18 months and then bring on our next generation of coaches – [Paul] Collingwood and [Ashely] Giles with him.

    “Ashley Giles has done very well but he’s still very young as a coach to take on that position. Ashley’s been around the side but I think it would be good for England cricket for a more established, supreme coach who’s been there and got the t-shirt to bring English coaches through with them,” added Vaughan.

    Following an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Australia in the Ashes over the winter, English cricket is in a stage of transition.

    With the culmination of Andy Flower’s reign and the enforced absence of Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann’s retirement and Jonathan Trott struggling with the mental aspects of the game, Vaughan warns that whoever takes over will be up against it from day one.

    “If you look at English cricket now, it’s not a great pass you’re going to get. No Pietersen, you have the Trott issue and Alastair Cook as captain knows that he has to improve quickly, no Graeme Swann and no spin option.”

    Vaughan, who led the England side to Ashes victory in 2005, also believes that English cricket is lacking vital depth.

    “If you compare the Aussies’ bowling depth – they have [Mitchell] Starc, [Nathan] Coulter-Nile and others coming through. Then you look at England and think the cupboard’s not full. We might well go through a transition period and I think we need some patience with England cricket right now.”

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