Reports: Ponting emerges as leading candidate for England's Test team head coach position
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has emerged as the leading candidate to take over as the head coach of the England Test team.
The position of England's head coach has been lying vacant following the sacking of Chris Silverwood after the humiliating Ashes defeat that the Joe Root-led side suffered last winter.
The defeat to Australia triggered massive outrage, and it led to the sacking of the then 'director of cricket Ashley Giles, batting consultant Graham Thorpe and Silverwood.
Former Kent batsman-turned pundit Rob Key has been appointed as the new 'director of cricket'. Having previously expressed his opinion to split the red-ball and white-ball coaching, England has increasingly expected to have separate coaches to lead the Test and ODI/T20I teams.
"I would split the coaching. Not because it's a lot of work, but because it's two very different teams at two different times. Key had said earlier this year that the [white-ball] team could do with a facilitator coach who can keep delivering what they're doing but challenge them," Key had said earlier this year.
"The Test team needs a completely different style of coach - a driver of culture and environment. The biggest thing is the mentality, which I think has been very poor," he added.
Regarding the Test team, as per a report published in 'The Times', Ricky Ponting has emerged as the leading candidate alongside former Proteas opener Gary Kirsten.
A complete student of the game who understands the nitty grits of the game like few can, besides being an excellent man-manager, Ponting has enhanced his reputation big time in the last few years following a successful stint with the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
Several former English cricketers, including Nasser Hussain, has hailed Ponting as the ideal man to take up the job.
However, it remains to be seen if Ponting accepts the offer- if the ECB approach him- given his commitments in the IPL and Channel 7.
Posting has previously expressed his desire to continue working in franchise cricket besides commentating during the Australian summer and spending the rest of his time with his young family.
As far as the head coach of the white-ball side is concerned, former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, who has had immense success as coach of MI and the Southern Braves, has emerged as the leading contender.
With the English international summer starting in early June, one can expect the ECB to announce head coaches of both Test and limited-overs teams in the coming days.
 "Yash Mittal")
