Downton favourite to take charge at Kent

FORMER England cricket chief Paul Downton, who was made the scapegoat for the 2015 World Cup debacle, is set to return to the sport as cricket director of Kent.

Downton’s torrid 14-month spell at the helm of England was dominated by the ECB’s poor handling of the split with Kevin Pietersen. It included Downton having to make a humiliating apology for saying KP appeared ‘disinterested’ and ‘distracted’ during his last game for England at the Sydney Test in 2014.

Downton has taken time off to recover from that toxic period but gave notice of his intention to make a comeback while umpiring a country-house match during Glorious Goodwood last August. The 60-year-old is now favourite for the Kent post that was advertised in December.

Downton, who made his fortune in the City before becoming England managing director after the Ashes whitewash in 2013-2014, played for Kent at the start of a career in which he made 30 Test appearances for England.

England assistant coach Paul Farbrace, who has turned down an approach from Worcester, is also on the shortlist at Kent, a county where he both played and coached. But Farbrace wants to stay in the England set-up working with head coach Trevor Bayliss, who has said he is leaving after the next Ashes series in 2019.

lLONDON

mayor Sadiq Khan (right) did not impress Spurs fans when he called the club ‘Tottenham Hotspurs’ four times in a video interview played at the press conference to announce the staging of an NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks at the new ground next season.

CRICKET AuSTRAlIA’S equal opportunities scheme has seen 29-year- old Claire Polosak umpire the Cricket Australia XI’s 50-over game against England, while Britain’s Sarah Addison is in line to become head groundswoman at the WACA in Perth. Another Brit, Antonia Beggs, who worked for golf’s European Tour, has become their head of match operations.

THE first commissioned work of former RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie since leaving Twickenham is to produce a report on Six Nations governance. The chairmanship rotates between the six countries but Ritchie is expected to recommend an independent chairman with a good knowledge of international rugby. And guess who would fit the bill? Ritchie himself — although he is far too canny to suggest that in his report.