Birmingham: Darren Lehmann has played down speculation linking him with the England Test coaching job after Northamptonshire won a record third T20 Blast title at Edgbaston.
Lehmann stepped down as Australia head coach following the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 and has not returned to international coaching since.
He joined Northamptonshire as head coach last year and earlier this season signed a contract extension until 2029, while also working as a broadcaster for ABC Radio in Australia during the English winter.
The ECB’s search for a new Test head coach suffered a setback on Friday when Andy Flower, previously considered the leading candidate, ruled himself out of the race. Although Lehman’s name has been mentioned in the speculation, he is not believed to be one of the shortlisted candidates.
“I’m not sure my wife would want me to spend 300 days (a year) again,” Lehman said when asked about the possibility of taking on the role.
“I haven’t spoken to them, so there’s no point worrying about it. For me, if they get rid of Brendon McCullum, they’ve already made the decision and have someone behind the scenes, because that’s how it works.”
Stephen Fleming, Justin Langer and Richard Dawson have emerged as the leading contenders.
Fleming, who stepped down as Chennai Super Kings head coach last week, admitted he would “100% give some consideration” if approached.
Northamptonshire won the T20 Blast title on Saturday with disciplined defensive performances against Somerset and Hampshire, and Lehmann had special praise for captain David Willey, who led the team to glory at the age of 36.
“He’s world class for us,” Lehman said. “He led the team well. I can’t speak highly enough of Dave and what he brings to the table as a leader.
“His focus is on nothing else. The phone calls I get from him – I call him, or he calls me – are actually very different half the time. It’s refreshing to have a captain who is so motivated to improve his players and is happy to make mistakes.
“He’s one of the first people I’d pick in any side. I love the way he does it. He’s trying to get better; he’s not standing at 36. That takes courage. I’m very proud of him for that.”
Lehmann ranks Northamptonshire’s T20 Blast win among the greatest achievements of his coaching career.
“I’ve been lucky to work with some good players and win some big trophies, but this is a big trophy, mainly because of what we’ve got,” he said.
“We’re a small club, a small budget, but we play big.”