Paul Farbrace admits he is desperate to become England cricket’s next head coach when Trevor Bayliss steps aside
Farbrace, currently Trevor Bayliss’s assistant, has been given a chance to stake his claim over the next few weeks by being left in charge of the team for four T20 matches
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Your support makes all the difference.Paul Farbrace admits he is desperate to take over as England head coach when Trevor Bayliss leaves the job at the end of next summer’s Ashes series.
Farbrace, currently the Australian’s assistant, has been given a chance to stake his claim over the next few weeks by being left in charge of the team for four T20 matches against Australia and India while Bayliss takes time out to watch county cricket and the England Lions. He starts on Wednesday with the sole T20 international against Australia at Edgbaston, a contest that is followed by a three-match series with India.
Farbrace has already shown his worth by helping launch England’s white-ball reboot three years ago, the 50-year-old having been put in temporary charge for the 2015 ODI series against New Zealand before Bayliss took on the job before that summer’s Ashes.
The sport’s shortest format has taken a backseat since England reached the final of the 2016 World T20, with Eoin Morgan’s team slipping to fifth in the world rankings. These upcoming four matches offer a chance for England to re-establish themselves as a T20 force ahead of the next tournament in Australia in two years’ time.
To that end they have promoted Jos Buttler, man of the series in the recent one-day whitewash of Australia, up to opener. That’s a role Buttler recently thrived in for Rajasthan Royals, hitting an Indian Premier League record of five successive half-centuries.
The bigger picture for Farbrace, though, is whether he takes over from Bayliss next year, whether as the sole coach in charge of all England teams or, as is expected, leading either the white-ball or Test sides in a split coaching setup.
Asked if he wanted to take over from Bayliss, Farbrace said: “Of course. If next September Andrew Strauss [England’s director of cricket] said we want to offer you the job as coach or as has been discussed splitting it and me looking after one of the teams, it would be so difficult to say no to that, it really would.
“I genuinely mean it that I’m thrilled to be asked to look after the squad. It’s just great to do. As a coach you are continually learning and trying to get better. I’ve made some horrendous mistakes in the past. In the two years I was head coach at Kent I had a disaster, and that’s the only thing you can do as a coach, keep learning and improving.
“I’m not saying this to make it easier if I don’t get the job. If come next September, I have a chance that would be fantastic and if I ended up being offered the position that would be great.”
Farbrace would probably be better suited to the role of England’s white-ball coach but he isn’t fussy about what he is offered.
“To be honest I’d take anything!” he said. “The Test team obviously would be an exciting challenge because there’s more work to do than with the one-day side.
“And it may be that when you get to next September, having one coach – me or somebody else, they may want to keep the job together if possible. Even the idea of two assistants, and keeping the energy that way, that may be another way to go. That’s not my call. Whatever it was I’d be excited to be in with a chance.”
As for Buttler, who will open with Jason Roy ahead of Alex Hales at No3, Farbrace said: “In terms of T20 my view is that with 120 balls you need your best players facing as many balls as possible.
“This is idea of people being finishers I don’t necessarily agree with. You need to get these players in and let them do as much damage as possible. You need to get your best players in. There is danger when you have six quality batters in your top six you are almost wasting a batter.”
There was also confirmation that Ben Stokes is close to a return from the hamstring injury he sustained during the recent Test series against Pakistan. The talismanic all-rounder will not play at Edgbaston but looks set for a return in the second T20 against India at Cardiff early next month.
“I reckon he’ll play at some point in these four T20 games and there’s a chance he’ll play for Durham before that just to get a game,” said Farbrace. “He’s not too far away at all.”
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