England's batting coach Mark Ramprakash has emerged as a leading candidate for the head coach job at Middlesex. Ramprakash, who started his career with the club and had a brief spell as batting coach before taking the England job in late 2014, is understood to be on a shortlist of four or five names. Richard Johnson, the Middlesex bowling coach, and former New Zealand player James Franklin were also on the shortlist for the job.
Former England coach Andy Flower has shown interest initially, but withdrawn from the race after a meeting with the club officials. Flower is currently acting as director of England cricket in place of Andrew Strauss who is absent on compassionate grounds. Richard Scott, the former Middlesex head coach, was sacked in July. Johnson was put in charge of the team for the rest of the season.
Middlesex finished bottom of the South Group in the Vitality Blast, in which they were coached by Daniel Vettori, were sixth in the South Group in the Royal London Cup but have kept their slim promotion hopes alive in the County Championship by winning their last two games; the most recent, against Northants, despite being obliged to follow-on.
The head coach will report to Angus Fraser, the director of cricket at Middlesex.
