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Former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne has made himself available for the England head coach role. The 52-year-old expressed he would do a ‘pretty good job’ as the English coach while speaking in a recent podcast.
The second-highest wicket-taker in Test match cricket, Warne, has been active in the cricket commentary scene but hasn't had a direct coaching experience except for the mentorship positions he has held over the years, especially in franchise cricket.
"I’d like to do it, it’s a great time to be England coach. I think I’d do a pretty good job, there’s a lot to work with. There are so many good players in England and a lot of depth, but you’ve got to get some of the basics right. You can’t bowl no-balls and drop so many catches, but you’ve got the players, they’re just not performing," he said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast hosted by Rob Key and Nasser Hussain.
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The three-time World Cup winner has coached the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals and also was close to getting the coaching gig at the Southampton-based team Southern Brave in The Hundred.
Meanwhile, the English coaching position was vacated after former head coach Chris Silverwood parted ways with the Three Lions after a 4-0 Ashes humiliation. Former England all-rounder and 2009 T20 World Cup winner Paul Collingwood has taken up the position as an Interim Coach.
In the podcast, Warne also discussed the change of coaching in the Australian team, Justin Langer, then Aussie Head Coach gave his resignation citing lack of support of several players and board members. The Spin Wizard felt the Cricket Australia didn’t handle the situation well and Langer was a ‘dead man walking'.
“Cricket Australia were disgraceful in the way they handled it. Winning an Ashes series and a World Cup, it doesn’t get much bigger than that. But [Langer] was a dead man walking. When I didn’t hear the captain or any other players sticking up for him, saying he was fantastic, I found that really disappointing,” Warne said.
“Why couldn’t Cricket Australia come out and say they were not renewing his contract straight away but would wait until the end of the summer, see who the best candidate is, and if Langer is still the best candidate give him a contract? If I were England I’d be jumping at him,” he added.
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