With Mahela Jayawardene named coach of Mumbai Indians on Friday, speculation is rife that former Australia skipper and the IPL franchise coach Ricky Ponting may be in contention for a big role in a revamped Australian cricket.
Australia were soundly thrashed by South Africa at home in two Test matches and that has led to calls for complete overhaul in their set-up.
Chairman of selectors Rodney Marsh has resigned and former skipper Greg Chappell has been appointed interim selector with Trevor Hohns replacing Marsh as the chairman.
A tweet by his former teammate Damien Martyn has given rise to speculations that Ponting's expertise may be sought in what can be termed as distressed times for Australian cricket.
"One of @CricketAus greats is no longer coaching the @mipaltan IPL side. Could a big announcement be coming,"
Martyn tweeted with a mug shot of Ponting wearing Baggy Green.
Ponting didn't do too badly in his two years with MI where the team emerged champions in the 2015 edition. Coaching or mentoring T20 franchises is considered to be a prosperous career choice for former greats as it takes less time with greater financial benefits.
There is a school of thought in cricketing fraternity that only when a big role with country's cricket board comes calling then only does someone decides to forego franchise cricket coaching offers.
While the two-year contract ended after 2016 edition but the former Australian skipper according to team sources shared a fantastic relation with the MI management.
Image: Ricky Ponting
Photograph: Reuters
