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Former Australian cricket coach John Buchanan says he is unlikely to take on the England job despite reports suggesting he was a top target.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Hugh Morris dropped the biggest hint yet on Friday morning that Buchanan is a wanted man following the controversial sacking of Peter Moores last month.
But the man who guided Australia from 1999 until 2007 says outside commitments mean he would be unlikely to accept the role even if it was offered.
“It is very flattering of the ECB, through Hugh Morris, to suggest my name as a possibility for a role with English cricket,” Buchanan said.
“I am always open to the prospect of being engaged in this capacity.
“At this point though, I have had no formal communication from the ECB.
“It is extremely unlikely for me to accept a fulltime coaching role with the English cricket team for a number of reasons.
“I finished the coaching role with CA (Cricket Australia) because I believe in a shelf life for coaches, and in my opinion, I had reached mine by the completion of the World Cup in 2007.
“I am not sure I could travel that road again, and indeed with another country.”
Buchanan said increasing commitments in the corporate sector, where he is often employed as a consultant and his role with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was still his main focus.
Buchanan coached Kolkata in last year’s inaugural IPL and said he is currently finalising his contract for this year’s competition.
Asked whether Buchanan would need to apply for the job or if the ECB would seek him out, Morris said: “Initially we’ll open the process up.”
“We would like it in place for the Ashes, but it is most important to get the right man,” he added.
The first Ashes Test starts in Cardiff on July 8.
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