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England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is believed to have shortlisted Mickey Arthur, the present South African coach, as one of the candidates for the post of England Cricket Coach. As per the reports in the British media, Arthur is now one of the four contenders for the top England coaching job. The other candidates include Andy Flower, the current England coach - who has been appointed on a temporary basis.
The other two contenders for the England coaching job are Graham Ford, the present Director of Kent County Cricket Club, and John Wright, the former coach of Indian national cricket team. It is also being said that even Ashley Giles, the former England spinner, applied for the post, but was turned down by Hugh Morris, Managing Director of England Cricket, as he did not possess adequate coaching experience.
When Arthur was contacted, regarding his shortlisting, he replied that he had neither been approached, nor interviewed by the ECB. At the same time, he added that he would like to honor his commitment with South Africa, at least till the 2011 World Cup. Arthur's contract with South Africa was extended in October 2008 only and he will be continuing with the team until the end of the New Zealand tour, scheduled for April 2012.
England cricket team has been working without a full-time coach since January 2009, when Peter Moores was sacked after the fall-out with Kevin Pietersen (the captain at that time). Simon Cummins, who is leading the recruitment process for ECB's head-hunting firm, declined to give any specific timeframe for appointing the coach. As per him, right now the interviews are going on. The final selection will be made on the basis of the applicants' current commitments and geographical whereabouts.
