London, Jan 31 (IANS): Australian men's team coach Justin Langer's name is doing the rounds in cricketing circles to take over the England side, but reports say that he is unlikely to take up the assignment as he would find it "difficult to cross the Ashes divide".
While Langer has successfully guided the Australian limited-overs side to its maiden ICC T20 World Cup triumph in the UAE and then led the Test team to a 4-0 Ashes win at home, he reportedly does not enjoy a great rapport with the players, and Cricket Australia (CA) might be having second thoughts about renewing his contract after June.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) might soon take a decision on coach Chris Silverwood after the team performed miserably in Australia, managing to miraculously save just one Test, while losing four by huge margins. The ECB is reportedly looking for a possible replacement for Silverwood and Langer's name too has cropped up as his potential successor.
However, a report in dailymail.co.uk said that it's unlikely Langer will take up the job. "(Former South African cricketer and ex-India chief coach) Gary Kirsten's recent pitch for Silverwood's job lacked class but he has a winning CV, as does Justin Langer, soon to be in the job market given the tense relationship between him and Australia's leading players.
"Word is that Langer would find it difficult to cross the Ashes divide as compatriot Trevor Bayliss did, making a head coach role in county cricket a likelier next stop," said the report about Langer, whose contract with the Australian team expires in June, a couple of months after the tour of Pakistan.
ECB managing director Ashley Giles has been tasked with examining the reasons for England's debacle Down Under and former captain Andrew Strauss -- who is the ECB cricket committee's chair -- will review the report and submit his recommendations to the board.
A key decision likely to emerge from the exercise is on Silverwood's future as coach. Besides Kirsten and Langer, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's name has also emerged for the top job.
With only a month to go for the Test series against the West Indies, England could also look to appoint an interim coach, while they search for Silverwood's successor. The report said that Surrey's director of cricket Alec Stewart was a potential interim option.