Chiefs in no hurry to hand out jobs

THE new Australian cricket team hierarchy is weeks away from being announced.

Two days after denying a report that Justin Langer is the new national coach, Cricket Australia has made it clear it will take its time to confirm any appointments.

Langer, the highly rated Western Australia and Perth Scorchers coach, remains the strong favourite to take over the top coaching role in the wake of the South African tour debacle.

The CA board met yesterday and chairman David Peever gave little away afterwards about the team leadership appointments.

“The board has asked management to provide recommendations regarding candidates for the men’s head coach, ODI captain and ODI vice-captain,” Peever said.

“The board is anticipating receiving these recommendations in the coming weeks, with a view to making appointments ahead of the ODI tour to the UK. Once these appointments have been endorsed and finalised, announcements can then be made.”

Jason Gillespie received a strong endorsement this week from former Australia captain Ian Chappell for the coaching role, and Ricky Ponting is another contender.

But the first ODI against England is not until June 13, giving CA plenty of time to make a decision.

One option is that an interim coach is named for the England tour, given the two reviews CA has set up in the wake of the South African disaster. Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner are suspended in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, while coach Darren Lehmann also quit. Wicketkeeper Tim Paine replaced Smith as captain.

Australia will play five onedayers and a T20 during its England tour.

This week, Aaron Finch said he would love to captain the national one-day team if the opportunity came.

Smith and Warner were banned for 12 months, while Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month ban for his role in the ball-tampering debacle.