'Will he have time?' - Dinesh Karthik rules out prospect of Andy Flower as England coach amid RCB duties

Dinesh Karthik has ruled out Andy Flower as England's next Test coach due to his ongoing roles in franchise cricket around the world. This includes him being at the helm of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the London Spirit in The Hundred.

According to reports, Flower is one of the names the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is considering as a replacement for Brendon McCullum as Test coach. The Telegraph also claimed that the board would be open to letting Flower miss England Tests to fit in with his time in the IPL.

Karthik, who works alongside Flower at RCB and will also take a coaching role at London Spirit, stated that the coach missing Test matches for the IPL will not go down well with the supporters. The former India wicketkeeper pointed out that Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer competed in the franchise league and missed England matches, causing an uproar in the media.

"In all seriousness, I think he’ll be a great candidate. He definitely should be one of the names thought of, but I would be very surprised if he took it, considering where England are and his packed schedule as well. He used to do a lot of leagues, and I’m sure that he didn’t have time. I read an article which said that England will be happy to accommodate IPL and then the rest of Test cricket, but with the schedule being the way it is, [it’ll be very difficult]. Like, when Jacob Bethell didn’t come in for the first Test, Jofra Archer not being available, it kicked up a fuss, and there were plenty of people saying, 'Why? How come one of the players is not there?'" Dinesh Karthik said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

With England gearing up for the home Ashes series next summer, it would not be wise for the Three Lions to have their coach miss out on valuable preparations, according to Karthik. The 41-year-old vouched for Flower as an excellent appointment, but stated that it is highly unlikely that he will agree to take charge of the Test team due to his other commitments.

"With Andy Flower, with an already pre-signed contract with RCB, which would mean that he would miss parts of all those [Tests]. Will it be okay for England in the preparation for the Ashes if they don’t have a coach for a Test match or two? I heard there’s a Test match against Bangladesh in May next year, and if Andy Flower is doing RCB, that could be a challenge as well. Is he good? Definitely. He is probably one of the best in the world, if not the best. Will he have time? That’s the question. I would be very surprised if the answer is a yes," Karthik added.

A host of names have been thrown in the mix as potential replacements for McCullum as England's Test coach. These include Kumar Sangakkara, Justin Langer, Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Fleming and Richard Dawson, amongst others.