Lord’s will host London Spirit versus Welsh Fire in the Hundred on Wednesday but English cricket’s showpiece competition will not be showcasing the talents of English coaching.

Instead it will be two Australians – Trevor Bayliss of London Spirit and Mike Hussey of Welsh Fire –  leading their teams, highlighting the glaring opportunity missed when the competition started to use it as a breeding ground for English coaching talent.

This is relevant because once again a coaching role with the national team is open after Matthew Mott was sacked this week. As usual, the majority of realistic contenders, particularly those with head coaching experience, are foreign.

At its inception, the Hundred provided the ideal opportunity to fill coaches roles with English cricketers. Stardust is provided by players, not coaches, but instead in its first year in 2021 five out of the eight were Australian and the others were Mahela Jayawardene, Gary Kirsten and Andy Flower.

This summer the eight teams are coached by four Australians (Hussey, Bayliss, Tom Moody and Simon Katich), two New Zealanders (Stephen Fleming and Dan Vettori) and one Zimbabwean in Flower. Only Northern Superchargers have employed Englishmen: James Foster for two years and this summer Andrew Flintoff. That is it. Two English head coaches in four years across eight teams in the men’s competition.

It is an opportunity missed. Graeme Swann, Matt Prior, Marcus Tresocthick, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott are just names that spring to mind of players who have recently retired and either looked for coaching roles or worked within the system. Swann now has 80 days a year with the ECB and was head coach of the under-19s this summer and Bell is expected to work with the Sri Lankans next month as batting coach for their Test series against England. Trott has had to gain experience outside of England with Afghanistan. All would have benefited from head coaching roles in a franchise competition at home. Just think if one of them had achieved sustained success in the Hundred; replacing Mott would feel a little easier.

The England job is still very attractive

Most have had junior roles within the Hundred or ECB set up, but that is it. Instead English coaches seem to have to wait far longer for opportunities to be the boss. Andrew Macdonald was in charge of the Birmingham Phoenix in the first year of the Hundred and is now the Australia national coach at 43, a similar age to Swann, Prior, Trott and Bell. By contrast, the South Africa T20 competition launched this year features five out of six homegrown coaches.

Insiders insist the search for Mott’s replacement will be a thorough process with headhunters drawing up an initial shortlist while director of cricket Rob Key uses his own extensive contacts to sound out candidates.

He wants the best person for the job and will not be pressurised into appointing an Englishman, which is exactly right. He knows the search is tougher because many top coaches have franchise gigs that pay well and are less onerous in terms of time spent away but the ECB are good employers with deep pockets and are more patient with results than team owners. The England job is still very attractive.

Creating the right vibe, which means good chemistry with Jos Buttler, is as important as any technical aspects. It is noticeable that Brendon McCullum has done this with the Test team, making it a fun environment players want to be a part of because he knows they have more options these days. The white-ball team will copy that approach.

Trescothick, as interim head coach, has a great opportunity to nail the job down if he clicks with Buttler and England perform well against Australia in September. Poaching a coach from franchise cricket is expensive, and allowing them to continue to work in the IPL alongside the England job throws up all sorts of potential conflicts of interest. Trescothick would be the cheaper option as a member of the payroll already and can commit totally to England. Watching him work will be fascinating, and he could prove that when given the chance, English cricket has the coaching talent within.

Morgan and Buttler relationship would need work

Eoin Morgan ruled himself out last week but that was while Mott was still in a job. They share the same agent so he could not really say anything other than distance himself from the role. But that has changed and Morgan would be the ideal choice. He is ruthless enough to tackle the dynamic within the squad by dropping aging stars he played alongside and would give the team a distinct identity it has lacked since his retirement.

The dynamic with Buttler could need work, the captain may feel undermined by the man he took over from suddenly and unexpectedly in 2022, and he must have a big say in who is appointed. There are no ideal candidates, all have some reason for not giving them the job.

Modern players seem to expect a coach with an extensive playing career themselves especially in the franchise era. Key pulled a surprise with McCullum who ticked that box. It would not be a surprise if a younger coach recently retired became a leading candidate. Someone like Shane Watson, who coaches in American Major League Cricket and the PSL and was recently linked with the Pakistan national job, could be one.

Morgan will be sounded out again. His answer could decide the path taken.