England line up Andrew Flintoff as their new white-ball coach

England are preparing to take another coaching gamble as they ponder handing control of their white-ball teams to Andrew Flintoff.

Until Friday night, Flintoff had not taken charge of a professional side, but neither had Brendon McCullum overseen a first-class match when Rob Key made him Test coach two years ago – an appointment credited with revitalising England’s fortunes.

Key also plumped for Matthew Mott soon after he arrived as the ECB’s director of men’s cricket in the spring of 2022, but has found himself conducting a white-ball review this week following two underwhelming World Cup title defences within the space of eight months.

Change now feels inevitable after a team fronted by Mott and captained by Jos Buttler followed up crashing out in the group stages of the 50-over event on the subcontinent last November, with just three wins in nine matches, by losing to eventual winners India in the semi-final of the Twenty20 version in Guyana.

Only one victory during their passage to the final four – versus hosts West Indies – was registered against a Test-playing nation.

England have lined up Andrew Flintoff as their new white-ball coach in another gamble

Until Friday night, Flintoff (pictured, right) had not taken charge of a professional side

Talking to Test Match Special during England’s third Test against West Indies, the ECB’s chief executive Richard Gould insisted options were still being assessed.

‘I’m not going to be giving, or drawn into, any vote of confidence because I know where that leads,’ Gould said.

‘We’ll always use whatever time we’ve got available to make the best decisions possible. We won’t be pressured into anything other than that.’

Flintoff, 46, returned to the professional game towards the end of the 2023 Ashes summer, months after the horror crash while filming an episode of Top Gear that left him requiring multiple surgeries.

Cricket is said to have helped him through the toughest of times (he has taken pleasure in watching sons Rocky and Corey turn out for Lancashire) and he has been universally popular within the England environments into which he has since been placed by his close friend Key.

Change feels inevitable with Matthew Mott on the chopping block after a poor run of form

ECB managing director Rob Key is currently fronting a wide-sweeping white-ball review

What began with some mentoring of up-and-coming cricketers 12 months ago blossomed into work with England Lions, followed by an assistant role in Mott’s backroom staff both on last December’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean and the higher-profile return there last month.

Earlier this summer, Key said a man who was an icon to many of the current group of England cricketers courtesy of his exploits as a player against Australia in 2005 was going on a ‘brilliant journey’ in his development towards a head coach position.

A move for Flintoff would be controversial on a couple of levels. Firstly, there is his relationship with Key. Then, there is a lack of coaching qualifications despite him possessing the persona to inspire in much the same way as McCullum has done in Test cricket.

One stumbling block for the ECB is Flintoff’s reticence to make himself available to the media. An England coach should be accountable for the team’s performances.

However, McCullum has been equally resistant to some aspects of projecting the England team to the public – opposing a proposed behind-the-scenes television documentary increasingly commonplace across global sport.

A move for Flintoff would be controversial for several reasons but he is able to inspire

The major issue right now, though, is results. 

Although England became double world champions a matter of months into Mott’s tenure – when they claimed the Twenty20 crown in his native Australia – they have lost more one-day internationals than they have won since May 2022, plunging to sixth in the ICC rankings in the process.

Key has been receiving feedback from various individuals associated with the teams this week including Mott, Buttler and senior players.

A decision is expected next week ahead of an extremely busy period of white-ball international cricket beginning in September when Australia are over for eight internationals. 

Another eight follow versus West Indies away before Christmas and eight more after it in India, a tour that precedes the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February.