Justin Langer has stated he has received no communication from the England and Wales Cricket Board regarding the position of men's Test head coach, and voiced doubts about the viability of a split coaching arrangement with Brendon McCullum remaining in charge of white-ball teams.
Preliminary interviews have reportedly been conducted with candidates including Tom Moody, Stephen Fleming, Jonathan Trott, and Richard Dawson.
Justin Langer's stance on England job
Langer said: "I haven't heard from anyone" but did not rule out the possibility, adding: "There's three [main] coaching roles in the world: the Australia head coach, the India head coach and the England head coach. It's all hypothetical, isn't it? They're the biggest teams … When it comes to coaching, it is a career and everyone looks at all opportunities, don't they?"
Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Langer said if appointed he would want oversight of all men's senior teams. He expressed scepticism about England's plan for a separate Test coach alongside McCullum, stating it can only work if they have identical approaches: "If you're the head coach you should oversee all of it. It doesn't mean you have to be there for all of it. But they've got to be really on the same page. And the director of cricket has to be. They've got to work hand in glove. If they work well together it could work, but there hasn't been too many examples where it has worked."
Concerns over split coaching and batting technique
Langer, currently coaching Manchester Super Giants in the Hundred, criticised the batting techniques of some England players: "What I am nervous about, watching the Ashes last year, is the deterioration of batting technique. In short-form cricket we all see these tricks, slower balls and wide yorkers. If you're bold enough as a bowler to bowl a good length, even in T20 now, you're going to expose batters because there's no footwork. Players just think they're going to go and tee off."
