England looking for a specialist Ashes bowling coach this winter

Ottis Gibson's departure from the England set-up to take over as South Africa's head coach leaves England need a new seam specialist ahead of the upcoming tour to Australia

England want a coach with knowledge of Australian conditions (Getty)

England are looking for a bowling coach with specific knowledge of Australian conditions ahead of this winter's Ashes tour, and are willing to consider a short-term candidate if they believe it will give them a better chance of regaining the urn.

Ottis Gibson's departure from the England set-up to take over as South Africa's head coach leaves England need a new seam specialist ahead of the upcoming tour to Australia.

A raft of county candidates will fill in for the rest of this summer, and the likes of Chris Silverwood and Jon Lewis can't be ruled out as potential long-term fits.

But Trevor Bayliss and the ECB's cricket overlord Andrew Strauss are both looking for someone with specialist knowledge of the conditions and pitches Down Under to help their Ashes chances as far as possible.

Their openness to a short-term fix has made former New Zealand quick Shane Bond a surprise favourite for the role, though the 42-year-old wouldn't confirm or deny his interest in the role.

Bond was forced to retire from cricket in 2010 due to injury but is well-considered on the international circuit. He currently has a role with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, which rules him out as a long-term Gibson replacement, but the Kiwi is seen as someone who could perform exactly the role they're after in Australia.

There remains the chance that one of the domestic candidates impresses the hierarchy and, just as importantly, the fast bowlers in what is left of this summer's international cricket.

But more likely is that we have to wait longer for England's first English bowling coach since Kevin Shine left the post in 2006 and the appointment has a somewhat more Antipodean flavour.