Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes Andy Flower is one of the strongest candidates to succeed Brendon McCullum as England’s Test head coach, but feels the former Zimbabwe captain is unlikely to accept the role because of his growing commitments in franchise cricket around the world. Following reports linking Flower with England’s Test coaching vacancy, speculation has intensified over who will lead the side into the next World Test Championship cycle and the home Ashes series.

Flower currently serves as head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is also associated with London Spirit in The Hundred, making his calendar increasingly packed. According to The Telegraph, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is willing to accommodate Flower’s IPL commitments if he is appointed, even if it means missing parts of the English Test summer.

However, Karthik believes such an arrangement would be difficult to justify, especially considering the criticism England players have received for prioritising franchise cricket. Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Dinesh Karthik, who works alongside Flower at RCB and is set to join London Spirit’s coaching setup, questioned whether England fans would accept a head coach missing Test matches because of IPL commitments.

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“In all seriousness, I think he’ll be a great candidate. He definitely deserves to be considered, but I’d be very surprised if he took the job, given England’s schedule and his existing commitments. England supporters created a huge debate when Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer missed matches because of franchise commitments. Imagine if the head coach wasn’t available for a Test match,” Dinesh Karthik said.

The former India batter added that England cannot afford disruptions ahead of a crucial home Ashes series. He believes continuity in coaching will be vital as the team prepares for one of its biggest assignments in international cricket.

🚨Dinesh Karthik on Andy Flower as England Test coaching role.🚨

Nasser Hussain🗣️ :- There is a lot of talk about appointing Andy Flower as England’s Test coach, will he accept the offer?

Dinesh Karthik :- (1)Andy is one of the best coaches for this role. However, it seems… pic.twitter.com/xfI5SQEBJK

— Indian Cricket 🏏 (@navshar54008403) July 13, 2026

Dinesh Karthik also pointed out that Flower’s existing contract with RCB could clash with England’s Test schedule next year, including a proposed home series against Bangladesh. In his view, balancing both responsibilities would be extremely challenging.

“Andy Flower is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in world cricket. There’s no question about his quality. The real issue is whether he’ll have the time to commit fully to England’s Test team. Given his commitments with RCB and other franchise teams, I’d be very surprised if the answer is yes,” he added.

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With McCullum stepping away from England’s Test setup, the ECB continues to evaluate several high-profile candidates. Apart from Flower, names such as Kumar Sangakkara, Justin Langer, Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Fleming and Richard Dawson have also been linked with the prestigious role.

As England begin planning for the next phase of their red-ball journey, the search for McCullum’s successor is expected to remain one of the biggest talking points in world cricket.