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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched a hunt for a new Test head coach after Brendon McCullum left the position by mutual consent following England's latest Test series loss to New Zealand.

 

McCullum will be retained to coach England's limited-overs sides, but the tests are now without a head coach. Several seasoned campaigners are thought to be in the frame for the opportunity. The Daily Mail suggests that Justin Langer, Andy Flower, Jonathan Trott, Richard Dawson, Kumar Sangakkara, Stephen Fleming, Mike Hesson, Tom Moody and Adi Birrell are in line for the role.

 

Of the eight coaches to have made the shortlist, four have existing strong links with the IPL. Given their recent success with franchise cricket, they look set to be the main contenders to take over the England Test team.

 

Andy Flower's Success With RCB

 

Andy Flower is one of the top contenders for the England test coach job. Andy Flower signed with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the head coach on August 23, 2023 and then followed it up with three years contract in 2024.

 

Though he failed to deliver another IPL title for Mumbai Indians, he guided RCB to winning back-to-back IPL titles in 2025 and 2026.

 

In terms of international experience, Flower previously worked with England as their assistant coach in 2007 before he assumed the role of head coach in 2009. Flower stayed in the post until 2014 and had a good period with the British team.

 

Kumar Sangakkara's Rajasthan Royals Journey

 

Further establishing his coaching credentials has been his role with the Rajasthan Royals.

 

He was appointed as the franchise's Director of Cricket in 2021 and also became Rajasthan's head coach. He led the team to the IPL final in 2022 for the first time since winning the title in 2008.

 

The Royals just fell short of the playoffs in 2023, but finished third and made it in 2024. Even though Rahul Dravid was head coach in 2025 with Kumar Sangakkara still acting as Director of Cricket, the Sri Lankan legend returned to the dual position in 2026. Rajasthan was in the playoffs again before being eliminated in Qualifier 2.

 

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Justin Langer's Journey in the IPL

 

Another seasoned coach being considered for the England Test team is Justin Langer.

 

The former Australia coach has taken charge of the Lucknow Super Giants since July 2023 after taking over from Andy Flower. His international coaching record and IPL experience have only bolstered his claim for the role.

 

Tom Moody Adds Vast Coaching Experience

 

If you're looking for a specific name, Tom Moody will also figure among the IPL-referenced names being considered by the ECB.

 

He is presently the Global Director of Cricket at Lucknow Super Giants, where he manages the franchise's cricket team. Previously, he had a successful stint at Sunrisers Hyderabad and took the side to its first-ever Indian Premier League title in 2016.

 

After years of coaching at both international and franchise levels, Moody remains one of the most well-respected coaches in the sport.

 

The ECB looks set to prevaricate a while before appointing McCullum's successor, with still three very experienced contenders fighting for a plum job in world cricket.