Buchanan eyes CA role

FORMER national cricket coach John Buchanan is contemplating a shock return to Cricket Australia to replace sacked high performance boss Pat Howard.

Buchanan said he had informally expressed interest and was awaiting clarification on the role before deciding whether he will apply. Currently coaching Wests the Brisbane competition, in Buchanan is one of Australia’s most successful national coaches. He was at the helm of Australia from 1999 to 2007, one of the golden eras of the country’s cricket success.

Australia won three successive World Cups ( 1999, 2003 and 2007) during Buchanan’s tenure, but he was a polarising figure at times.

His impact on the team’s success was debated, with Shane Warne a critic of Buchanan’s who questioned whether he was needed in the set- up.

Buchanan was coach while Australia won 16 consecutive Test matches and worked with all- time greats Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Cricket Australia is reviewing the structure of the high performance chief role before advertising for applications. Buchanan, 65, returned to club coaching this year, citing a desire to keep in touch with the game and interact with young people.

“In the corporate world there is a lot of talk about relating to young people, so this will really help me see how young people operate,’’ he said.

If Buchanan formally pursues the role, he will have stiff competition in new coach Justin Langer’s long- time confidant Ben Oliver.

Oliver, Western Australia’s high performance manager, is understood to be a leading contender for the role.

But Buchanan and Langer have a strong relationship and are understood to still catch up to discuss the game.

Howard, who had a rugby background, was sacked last month as the fallout from the ball- tampering scandal deepened.

New CA chief Kevin Roberts is keen to have a cricket expert come into the role.

“It is important that we give cricket a fresh start and we start looking forward so we can heal and take the game into the future,” Roberts said last week. “I think it’s imperative that we do have deep cricket experience in the role.

“Pat had a much deeper experience of cricket than he was given credit for and had a lot of cricket experts around him, but I’ll be seeking the counsel of other cricket experts in determining our future direction.”