ECB CEO Richard Gould clears air about Matthew Mott’s future as England's white-ball coach

Richard Gould, CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has addressed ongoing speculation about the future of Matthew Mott as England’s white-ball coach, with the reports suggesting that Andrew Flintoff will become the new coach.

Recent reports suggested that Mott is on the verge of losing his position following England’s lackluster performances in both the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024. It has been claimed that Mott could be stepping down after England failed to defend their ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup titles.

ECB CEO Richard Gould clears the air by saying Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler’s roles under review

Amid the reports that Mott’s future is uncertain due to recent heartbreaks along with the white-ball captain Jos Buttler, Rob Key, England's director of men's cricket, is currently reviewing the outcomes of these tournaments and refrained from confirming whether they would continue in their roles.

However, the ECB CEO clarified that Mott had already been dismissed from his role, which is false. Gould emphasized that Mott remains a respected and capable coach with an impressive track record, as does the skipper Buttler. The ECB CEO said that it is normal practice to constantly evaluate all options.

Furthermore, Gould has pointed out that it's important for everyone to avoid giving a mere "vote of confidence" to such rumors, as the game is always subject to scrutiny and decision-making. The ECB CEO stressed that their focus remains on making decisions that benefit the game, the team, and the individuals involved.

Richard Gould said on the BBC Test Match Special: “That's not true (on Mott receiving his cards). That's certainly not true. Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record, and it is the same with Jos Buttler. We are always assessing options—that is what happens in high-performance sports; you are always assessing your options.”

The ECB CEO added, “You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions. We'll constantly want to assess our options, but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team, and individuals.”

Matthew Mott's coaching tenure highlights

Notably, Mott was appointed England’s white-ball head coach in 2022 when the ECB divided the coaching roles with Brendon MacCallum joining the Test side, and he guided the team to victory in the T20 World Cup later that year.

Despite this success, England faced setbacks under his coaching. England, the 2019 ODI World Cup champions, had a disastrous performance in the ODI World Cup last year, winning only three out of nine matches in India.

Additionally, the England team also lost the T20 World Cup title in June after being defeated by India in the semi-finals. Mott's tenure was expected to be secure if England reached at least the semi-finals, but they only managed to win one out of four matches against other Test-playing nations in the T20 World Cup 2024.