Next England coach after Brendon McCullum, candidates, Andy Flower, Justin Langer

England are keen to move fast to replace Brendon McCullum as Test coach, days out from giving the man behind Bazball the flick.

A mere handful of candidates are set to be shortlisted and sounded out by the England Cricket Board, with under-fire director of cricket Rob Key and former Australian Test batter turned national selector Marcus North set to lead the process.

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The plan is to have a new coach locked in before the start of a three-Test home series against Pakistan in August, on the other side of The Hundred.

“In truth, this position is probably one where the shortlist is no more than six to 10 names globally of a diverse nature,” ECB CEO Richard Gould told BBC Sport.

The list of frontrunners is jam-packed, featuring celebrated legends of English cricket, a former Ashes-winning coach … and more than one Aussie who could face the challenge of leading the Poms into the 2027 Ashes.

ANDY FLOWER

The early favourite, Flower has already served one, mostly successful term as England coach.

Taking over a fractured team reeling from a bitter fallout between predecessor Peter Moores and ex-captain Kevin Pietersen, the former Zimbabwean wicketkeeper turned things around in rapid time with a surprise 2-1 Ashes victory over Ricky Ponting’s Aussies a few months later.

More glory was to come down under in 2010/11, dispatching the wayward hosts 3-1 – with a record three victories by an innings – en route to claiming the ICC’s No.1 Test ranking in mid-2011.

A 2013 Ashes win, though, would be the last of the good times: Flower resigned in the aftermath of England’s disastrous 5-0 tour of Australia in 2013/14.

But with the team now under fire for ill discipline and an entrenched drinking culture, both of which dominated headlines during the 2025/26 Ashes and led directly to McCullum’s departure, the 58-year old’s reputation as a hard taskmaster makes him particularly appealing.

Among his backers are former England greats Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton.

“I would do anything if I was Rob Key and the ECB to go and get Andy Flower,” Hussain told Sky Sports this week.

“If you’re going to keep Key - whose attention to detail is not his strongest suit - then below, you need to have someone that is absolutely across everything, and doesn’t miss a trick.

“For me, the best person for that would be Andy Flower by a country mile. Flower took England to number one in the world.

“I love Flower’s approach to coaching - he was meticulous in everything that he did.”

Even Pietersen, who tore into Flower in his explosive autobiography following his sacking from the Test team in early 2014, is now on side.

Complicating matters is Flower’s role as head coach of Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he has won the last two titles.

But while he is unlikely to resign from that position to take up one with England, the ECB are reportedly prepared to let him juggle both roles, even if that forces him to miss the occasional Test.

JUSTIN LANGER

If Flower’s reputation as a disciplinarian is what is most appealing to the ECB, then Langer is cut from a similar cloth.

Having achieved success at virtually every turn since ending a celebrated playing career in the late 2000s, Langer was controversially ousted as Australian coach following the 2021/22 Ashes, despite the team’s 4-0 triumph.

Since then, he has combined media duties with several coaching roles, most notably as head coach of IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants, where he replaced none other than Flower in 2023.

The Western Australian was among the frontrunners to coach England following the axing of Chris Silverwood in early 2022, eventually losing out to McCullum.

At the time, former England captain and Fox Cricket commentator Michael Vaughan was adamant JL was the man for the job.

“This England Test team needs some tough love,” Vaughan wrote in The Telegraph.

“Just go and get him.

“English cricket needs a reality check. It is not about being cosy and nice to each other. To win you sometimes need to be on edge.”

Sound familiar?

Having won rave reviews for turning Australia’s culture around following the disaster of Sandpapergate, Langer’s uncompromising leadership, dedication and unquestionable work ethic would be an ideal fit for an England team whose lax mentality under McCullum saw the Bazball era crumble.

ANDREW FLINTOFF

If the transition from McCullum’s coaching style to the more abrasive Flower or Langer is seen as too risky for an established England Test squad, then Flintoff must be in the running.

Never comfortable as a leader in his playing days, epitomised by his captaincy during the disastrous 2006/7 Ashes, ‘Freddie’ has had a colourful life since retirement.

He moved into coaching — following a stint hosting iconic BBC program Top Gear and sustaining serious injuries in a crash in 2022 — most notably as head coach of the England Lions.

Recently, he was also unveiled as the new coach of BBL franchise Sydney Thunder.

Flintoff would be a popular choice to replace McCullum, with his heroics in England’s drought-breaking 2005 Ashes triumph the stuff of legend.

Being a close friend of Key can’t hurt his case either.

However, he has previously expressed his unwillingness to coach the national team, with an about-face seen as unlikely.

STEPHEN FLEMING

From Kiwi to Kiwi?

The timing of Fleming’s abrupt resignation as head coach of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings is fascinating, with England reportedly taking an interest in the former New Zealand captain.

The 53-year old’s leadership and tactical acumen led to an unprecedented run of success for the Black Caps in the early 2000s, with his 303 matches as captain across all formats behind only MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting.

He is a veteran of franchise cricket, and a five-time IPL winner with the Super Kings.

Most interestingly, the great Shane Warne called for Fleming to replace Mickey Arthur as coach at the start of 2013, mere months before Arthur’s acrimonious sacking for Darren Lehmann.

“I believe he brings alot [sic] to the table, a calmness, an intelligent understanding of the game and a very good cricket brain,” Warne wrote on his website.

“He’s a good communicator too as well as a good leader of men.”

As a veritable free agent, having also ended stints at Super Kings franchises in South Africa’s SA20 and America’s Major League Cricket, he wouldn’t have to juggle responsibilities like Flower, which only helps his case.

RICHARD DAWSON

Owner of seven Test caps and a county cricket stalwart, Dawson’s main claim to fame is as the bowler who Steve Waugh crunched to the SCG boundary to bring up a fairytale century on the last ball of the day in the 2003 New Year’s Test.

Unlike the majority of the other candidates, the 45-year old’s coaching experience has been at county level rather than in franchise T20 cricket, having led Glamorgan since January 2025.

He was also part of England’s coaching staff from 2022 until 2024, including as Matthew Mott’s assistant during the team’s 2022 T20 World Cup win in Australia.

With a weight of experience in English cricket specifically, he looms as a key contender if the ECB prioritise local knowledge over international experience.

JONATHAN TROTT

The wildcard of the bunch, Trott has international experience under his belt, having ended a long stint as Afghanistan head coach earlier this year.

Among the highlights was an extraordinary run to the semi-finals at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, which included a crucial win over Australia at the Super 8s stage.

“He’s had to deal with quite a volatile situation by coaching Afghanistan for the last four or five years. That would grow you up as a coach quite quickly,” former England Test fast bowler Steven Finn said of Trott on BBC Sport.

Having not coached since his Afghanistan departure, it wouldn’t surprise to see the 45-year old, a former protégé of Flower in his playing days, return to England’s set-up, even if not in the top job.

GARETH BATTY

One of England’s most successful domestic coaches in recent times, Batty coached Surrey to three successive County Championship titles from 2022-2024.

The nine-Test spinner has seen a swathe of Surrey players advance to international cricket under his watch, including Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson and Ollie Pope.

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He has been a vocal critic of England’s selection switch under McCullum and Ben Stokes to largely ignore County stats in favour of other factors, most famously with the selection of spinner Shoaib Bashir for 21 Tests and counting despite mediocre domestic performances.

In everything from philosophy to playing career, the 48-year old is about as far removed from McCullum as it’s possible to be.

Given England’s last 12 months, that might not be a bad thing.

DARREN LEHMANN

They couldn’t … could they?

Lehmann knows a thing or two about taking over a nation in crisis.

His involvement in ‘Sandpapergate’ hasn’t eliminated him as a candidate for other coaching positions, either, having coached Brisbane Heat in the BBL and Northern Superchargers in The Hundred since resigning as Australia coach.

Currently, he is coaching Northamptonshire in county cricket, so he would be intimately familiar with English cricket and would be, geographically at least, a simple hire.

It’s the longest of long shots, especially with the ECB seeking sterner discipline from their next hire – but if England want a coach with experience, Lehmann has it in spades.

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