Justin Langer has been immediately linked to the vacant England coaching position after resigning from the Australian job on Saturday.
Interim England managing director Andrew Strauss hasn’t ruled out pursuing Langer for the England job following Chris Silverwood’s sacking last week.
“I know him well and, on the surface, he's done a very good job with that Australian cricket team so I wouldn't rule him out (for the coaching job),” Strauss said.
“I personally feel someone with an outside view who can check and challenge the thoughts within the dressing room is a healthy thing.”
Former England captain Mike Atherton weighed in on the prospect of Langer, a legend of Australian cricket, potentially coaching the arch enemy.
“It’s certainly going to be a conversation,” Atherton told SEN’s Whateley.
“There are two aspects to it: Would Justin Langer want to do it? He seems to be the type of guy that bleeds green and gold rather than the blue of England for sure, and it might be hard to see him in that position.
“He’s just had four years of very intense work with Australia, I think he’s just got home for the first time in six months, he’s not seen his family for a long time.
“England would want a permanent coach in place by the start of the summer, you’re talking May or June time in England.
“But there are certain things that would fit.
“He knows English cricket, he’s played county cricket, he knows Andrew Strauss well – they played together at Middlesex and have a high regard for each other.
“England are looking for somebody alongside Joe Root who has got a bit more drive if you like than perhaps was the case under Chris Silverwood’s coaching outfit.
“There are certain elements that fit, but I would have thought everyone is a long way from that, they wouldn’t have even had a conversation.”
Langer quit his post after rejecting Cricket Australia’s six-month contract offer.
It comes after the 51-year-old guided Australia to a maiden T20 World Cup title and oversaw a 4-0 Ashes thrashing of England this summer.
“It seems a rather sad way to have gone,” Atherton said.
“The six-month extension … it looked to me as though he deserved rather better than that.
“Maybe there’s a shelf-life to these coaching appointments, particularly someone like Justin who is quite full on and quite intense.”
Andrew McDonald has been named interim head coach of Australia ahead of next month’s tour of Pakistan.