Reports: Ottis Gibson rules himself out of England's Test coach race

In the latest development, former West Indies cricketer and coach Ottis Gibson has ruled himself out of contention for becoming the next England Test coach.

According to a report published in The Cricketer, Gibson was approached by Andrew Strauss to discuss the opportunity. Still, the former cricketer is believed to have replied that he won't be applying.

Earlier today, several English media reports had suggested that Gibson is the prime contender to take up the Test coach position, with newly-appointed managing director Robert Key looking to split the red and white-ball coaching roles.

Apart from having the experience of coaching international teams like South Africa and the West Indies, Gibson has also served as the bowling coach of the English team on two separate occasions. This, and the fact that he has spent a lot of time in and around England's county system during his playing days, had made Gibson an obvious choice for the ECB.

However, not everyone is impressed with the fact that the ECB chose to approach Gibson despite being fully aware that he had just signed a three-year deal with Yorkshire.

Yorkshire has undergone a lot of turmoil in the past few months, and their acquisition of Gibson came at a very high cost.

The fact that Andrew Strauss approached Gibson despite Robert Key being the permanent managing director has angered some in the English ecosystem, the Cricketer reported.

As far as the white-ball coach is concerned, prominent names like Mahela Jayawardene, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, and Gary Kirsten are likely to be among the contenders.

However, it remains to be seen whether either of these names entertains ECB's offer, given that they are currently employed with coaching duties with various IPL franchises. 

England are currently without a Test captain and a head coach, and the upcoming days will see crucial appointments for the same.