Matthew Mott Likely To Clinch the Race for England’s Men’s White-Ball Coach

Matthew Mott who is renowned for being the coach of Australian women’s international side is reportedly the frontrunner for the vacant England men’s white ball coach. It is said that Matthew Mott is likely to be appointed later this week as the England head coach for the limited overs side. The interview panel chose Mott ahead of veteran England allrounder Paul Collingwood, who was the leading candidate after filling in as head coach on the previous Caribbean trips. Apart from these two people, there were no choices for the management regarding the vacant head coach spot for the limited overs side.

The England limited overs side would continue under the captaincy of their most successful captain Eoin Morgan and the management under Rob Key will be hoping that Matthew Mott would be able to fill in the big role. The management had already decided that they would appoint two different coaches for different formats just like the split captaincy. The change in leadership has done wonders for the England side. England had risen as a power house in limited overs ever since they decided to stick to Morgan as the lone captain for limited overs. They changed the manner in which International teams approached limited overs games and employed the all out attack approach from the beginning itself.

The ECB decided to separate the coaching with the hiring of Rob Key as chief executive of men’s cricket. Brendon McCullum was officially named as the Test team’s head coach this week upon pleasing a selection panel that included Key, Andrew Strauss, and Tom Harrison. Following the excitement of McCullum Stokes duo in the Test arena, fans are eagerly waiting to witness who will accompany Morgan for the limited overs side. The panel is alleged to have met England skipper Eoin Morgan to have his say for the white-ball head coach. Ironically, McCullum “suggested” Mott for the position of New Zealand head coach over a years back, which ended up at Mike Hesson.

Mott has been the main man for the Australia women’s team since 2015 and he played a crucial role in shaping up the invincible Australian side. Ever since he was appointed as the head coach of the Australian side, he along with their captain Meg Lanning turned their side into simply an unbeatable force. Following their semi-final loss to India in the 2017 Women’s World Cup, Australia had lost only 2 games in 42 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), with the hot stretch continuing through an undefeated streak to this year’s World Cup.

Mott, a former Queensland wicketkeeper-batter, has had head coaching positions at New South Wales and Glamorgan, as well as a couple brief periods with Australia A. Mott was also an assistant head coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in 2009. Mott came into this position when he was suggested as a possible replacement for Justin Langer as Australia’s men’s head coach. Mott stated at the time that he preferred to continue guiding the women’s squad.

“As a coach, you have to look at the next step… there will always be that ‘what’s next?'” Mott explained. “However, I’m having a great time doing what I’m doing right now.” I don’t feel compelled to go somewhere else. Many people believe that entering the men’s programme is a step forward. I believe it is only a small step.

“I’ve participated in the Australia A men’s programme a number of times.” I’ve had a good time working there.”