Donald puts his name forward for England role

Allan Donald put himself forward to become England's bowling coach yesterday, a move that would be welcomed by their leading seamer James Anderson.

Donald had a short spell as bowling consultant three years ago and was widely seen as a success by the players before he had to return to his homeland. "In 2007 I really enjoyed the four months I spent with the England cricket team, I learnt a lot," he said. "It is an environment I really enjoyed being in, working with elite cricketers.

"I'd be silly to not consider the position. I will obviously think it over but it is a great challenge for any coach. If I did make contact with the ECB at some stage I'm sure that I would be throwing my name in the hat, absolutely. In 2007 my little boy went through a very tough time and I had to abort that. It would have been very foolish of me to go touring around the world when he was struggling at school and having health problems.

"At the moment everything is fine and I think I am just about ready to get back into it full time," Donald said.

Anderson credited the South African with adding a cutting edge to his bowling. "He helped me a lot," he said after Donald's spell with the team. "More on the mental side. He told me I should be leading the attack and I needed to be more aggressive, both with my bowling and my body language."

Ottis Gibson left the England role vacant on Monday when he took up the head coach role with the West Indies. Donald has been unable to nail down a coaching job in his homeland although the imminent change of coaches for the South African national team could open up new opportunities.