In a major blow to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Andy Flower has reportedly ruled himself out of the race for Test head coach after discussions with the board.
Big blow for England, Andy Flower out of the race for Test coach
Flower has decided not to return to the England national cricket team and will instead continue his current coaching roles at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and London Spirit in The Hundred.
The former Zimbabwe captain was considered one of the strongest candidates to replace Brendon McCullum as England’s Test coach due to his vast coaching experience and previous success with the England national cricket team.
However, Flower has now made it clear that he remains committed to RCB and London Spirit, ending speculation over a possible return to the England dressing room. His decision is a major blow to the ECB, which now continues to search for a new Test coach ahead of a busy schedule.
Andy Flower has ruled himself out of the race for the post of England Test coach after talks with the ECB. Will continue roles with RCB and London Spirit
More soon @cricinfo
– Matt Roller (@mroller98) July 17, 2026
Andy Flower confirms ECB talks but rejects offer
Andy Flower said at London Spirit’s media day, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo: “The main thing for me is I’m very happy with the work I’m doing at the moment… I’m really comfortable in what I’m doing. I have [ruled myself out]Yes.”
The former England head coach has confirmed that he has had discussions with the ECB about the vacant Test head coach position. However, he decided not to take the job as he is very happy with his current coaching roles at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and London Spirit.
The RCB coach stressed that he enjoys working with both the teams and wants to continue working with them. “The main thing for me is that I’m very happy with the work I’m doing at the moment. I work for some very good organisations. I have really good teams around me and good people around me, and I’m really comfortable with what I’m doing at the moment,” he said.
Had a wonderful time, but don’t want to return: Flowers
The former Zimbabwe captain further said that coaching England in the past was a special experience, but at this stage of his career, he wants to continue in his current roles. Meanwhile, Joe Root crowned Virat Kohli as the greatest chaser in ODI cricket, heaping praise on Rohit Sharma.
Flower continued, “I’ve worked with England before, and I had an amazing time when I had the privilege of becoming England’s head coach many years ago and representing England as one of their leaders, and I remember those years really well, and it would be a privilege for me or anyone else to become a Test coach. But at the moment, I’m really comfortable with what I’m doing. I’ll stick to doing that.”
Andy Flower explains why he turned down England role
While the ECB said they would allow the new Test coach to work simultaneously in the IPL, Flower felt it would not be possible to handle both jobs at the same time.
He explained that the IPL takes place during the first few months of the English summer, and if he were England’s Test coach, he would want to be with the team, watching the players and working closely with them.
He concluded by saying, “I can’t speak about other people, but I don’t think I could do both. For me, it wasn’t a possibility.”
