Matthew Mott has stepped down from his role as England's white-ball head coach after two years; England failed to defend T20 World Cup and 50-over World Cup titles after winning T20 World Cup in 2022 during the Australian's time in charge; Marcus Trescothick takes over on an interim basis
Tuesday 30 July 2024 18:25, UK
Matthew Mott has stepped down from his role as England's white-ball head coach with immediate effect.
Mott met with Rob Key, the ECB's managing director of England men's cricket last week, and will leave the position after two years in office.
Assistant coach Marcus Trescothick will take charge on an interim basis for the rest of the home summer as England prepare for a multi-format white-ball series against Australia which starts on September 11.
The ECB confirmed the change after England failed to defend their T20 World Cup title under Mott last month, scraping out of the group stage before suffering a heavy semi-final defeat to eventual champions India.
That tournament followed England's disappointing 2023 Cricket World Cup campaign, where they failed to progress from the group stage as defending champions, crashing out of the 50-over tournament in India and losing their crown to Australia.
Captain Jos Buttler, whose position also came under scrutiny after the two hugely disappointing World Cup title defences in the space of eight months, will continue leading the side.
Mott took over England's white-ball side in 2022, when Chris Silverwood was sacked from his role as Test and white-ball head coach after a disastrous Ashes tour that winter.
The 50-year-old Australian guided England to the T20 World Cup title in 2022 in Australia where they became double world champions before subsequently losing both titles.
Key said: "On behalf of everyone connected to England cricket and me personally, I would like to thank Mathew for all he has done for the team since his appointment. He can be proud of his achievements as he leaves his post as one of only three coaches who have won a men's World Cup with England.
"After three World Cup cycles in a short space of time, I now feel the team needs a new direction to prepare for the challenges ahead.
"This decision was not made lightly, but I believe it is the right time for the team's future success. With our focus shifting towards the Champions Trophy early next year and the next cycle of white-ball competition, it is crucial that we ensure the team is focused and prepared.
"Marcus Trescothick is well respected in the dressing room and will take charge of team affairs alongside Buttler. Marcus and Jos have a good rapport, and I think their partnership will help us maintain continuity and stability.
"The search for a full-time replacement will now begin. It is essential that we go through the right process to ensure we get the best person for the job."
Mott said: "I am immensely proud to have coached the England men's team; it has been an honour. We have put everything into trying to achieve success over the past two years, and I am incredibly proud of the character and passion that the team has displayed during that period, including a magnificent T20 World Cup victory in 2022.
"I would like to thank the players, management, and everyone at the ECB for their commitment, support, and hard work during my time. I leave with many great friendships and incredible memories.
"Finally, I would like to thank the England fans, who have always backed us and given us fantastic support wherever we have travelled around the world."
Trescothick is looking forward to working alongside Buttler as England prepare for the Champions Trophy campaign which will take place in Pakistan in 2025.
"England cricket is in a strong position, and the potential is huge, given the quality we have available," the former England opener said.
"It is about harnessing that potential and developing the work that has already been put in place by Matthew and the rest of the set-up. I'm excited about the challenge and shaping how we want to play."
Andrew Flintoff, Kumar Sangakkara and World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan are among the contenders to replace Mott as England's next white-ball head coach. Here's a look at their credentials for the job:
Andrew Flintoff
Favourite for the role, with the former England captain and talismanic all-rounder making encouraging early steps into coaching over the past year.
Flintoff is also currently leading the Northern Superchargers' men's side in The Hundred and the ECB's managing director of men's cricket Key, as recently as March, talked up his potential as a head coach.
"He will be a worthy candidate going forward," Key told the Daily Telegraph. "When that time comes and whoever is in this job, and it might be outside of my time, they would be stupid not to look at him."
Kumar Sangakkara
The former Sri Lanka captain could be a contender for the job, having worked very closely with Buttler over the last four hugely fruitful years of his seven-year stint with the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Sangakkara took over the side in 2021, and every single one of Buttler's seven IPL centuries that places him second all-time in the tournament (behind only Virat Kohli's eight) have come under Sangakkara's watch.
And the improvement has not just been confined to Buttler; Sangakkara has led the Royals to the playoffs in two of his four years in charge - only just missing out on the top four in 2023 - and including a first finals appearance in 14 years before being defeated by Gujarat Titans in 2022.
Eoin Morgan
This is the man Key is said to want or have wanted, with Morgan having led the most successful era of white-ball cricket in England's history when captaining them to a first-ever 50-over World Cup title in thrilling fashion in 2019.
But Morgan, who only stepped down as skipper in 2022 before retiring from all cricket a year later, appears to have already ruled himself out of the role, having told Sky Sports last week: "The timing for everything in my life at the moment is not right."
At that stage, however, Mott was still in charge despite the speculation surrounding his future. Could one final, last-ditch phone call from Key tempt him into a different decision?
England's three-Test series against Sri Lanka gets under way at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday August 21. Watch live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am (first ball bowled at 11am).
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