Kirsten in hunt for England chief job
CRICKET: THE ASHES
THE rest of the Ashes series is in doubt after Australia were rocked by a COVID outbreak in their camp.
Batsman Travis Head has tested positive for the virus and will miss the Sydney Test.
Doubts are now growing as it seems likely there will be a lot more cases in the Baggy Greens’ squad.
Head is showing no symptoms but testing positive on a PCR test.
He has to stay in Melbourne for a week in isolation.
Mitchell Marsh, Nic Maddinson and Josh Inglis have been called into the Aussies’ squad as cover.
England were meant to travel from Melbourne to Sydney on the same charter flight but ended up taking separate planes to prevent spread among the two squads.
Three Lions coach Chris Silverwood has been left behind after one of his close family tested positive.
The whole England squad came back with negative PCR tests before they got on the plane.
Steered
Meanwhile, Gary Kirsten says he’s the man to sort out Test cricket for the struggling tourists.
It looks like Silverwood will lose his role as effective team manager after the Ashes disaster.
Kirsten has a fine track record in the redball game having steered South Africa to No1 in the world.
He was close to getting the job before Silverwood in 2019.
Kirsten said: “England is always a consideration because it’s a tremendous honour.
“I’ve walked this journey twice now and I’ve always made it clear that I would never commit to doing all formats.
“Your Test side has battled for a while but it would be a really lovely project to get that going.
“I think it’s a great project for someone to come in and take that Test side on.
“There’s a lot that needs to be put in place to build this Test team out.”