Tim Paine and Darren Lehmann in the frame for Adelaide Strikers’ head coaching job

A former Australian coach and captain are both in the running for a BBL head coaching role following Jason Gillespie’s departure from the Adelaide Strikers.

Former Australian coach Darren Lehmann and ex-Test skipper Tim Paine are pitted against each other in the race to replace Jason Gillespie as coach of the Big Bash League’s Adelaide Strikers.

More than four months after Gillespie resigned to take up a role as Pakistan’s Test coach, the SACA is in the latter stages of making an appointment, following the call to promote former Aussie paceman Ryan Harris to coach of the men’s state side (formerly the Redbacks).

The duo are in the running to replace Jason Gillespie, now coaching Pakistan. Picture: Sameer Ali/Getty Images

Matthew Mott, the former Victoria and Queensland batter who has coached World Cup-winning sides in both women’s and men’s cricket, considered throwing his hat in the ring after his recent split with England, but has ultimately opted against proceeding.

Former Australian assistant Adam Griffith had also been interested in the role but is also understood to have pulled out. Griffith was the runner-up to Cameron White for the Melbourne Renegades coaching vacancy earlier this year.

Ex-New Zealand men’s coach Mike Hesson has also shown interest in the Strikers role.

Lehmann coached the Brisbane Heat between 2019 and 2021 before stepping back to an assistant role under Wade Seccombe. However he remains interested in taking on a coaching position, having also been in the running for the Renegades job.

Darren Lehmann has been an assistant at the Brisbane Heat in recent times. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Paine meanwhile has flagged his intentions to coach, having served as an assistant at the Strikers under Gillespie after retiring from playing as well as helping with Cricket Australia’s pathways system.

The former gloveman has combined his foray into coaching with media work.

Tim Paine, was an assistant to Gillespie, last season. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Sources close to the situation confirmed that there have been delays to the process due to uncertainty around candidates. Simon Insley, the former Tassie and NZ high-performance chief, is central in the process of finding a replacement after starting at the SACA this month.

It’s believed the SACA wants to make an appointment before the BBL draft early next month.

Insley replaced Tim Nielsen, another former Australian coach who has joined Gillespie in a role with Pakistan.

Seccombe led the Heat to a breakthrough BBL title before resigning from his dual posts with the Heat and Queensland Bulls, replaced by former South African skipper Johan Botha. Seccombe has landed at Cricket Victoria in a role working with the Renegades.

Paine spoke of his interest in the BBL job as early as April, telling SEN: “I’ve been coaching for about six months and it’s a big job and I’d imagine it would get a lot of experienced coaches interested in that job as well. But I would love to go through the process because, one, it would be a great learning curve for me as a professional coach, to go through some sort of process would be awesome for my development, but like any coach of course you want to coach in the biggest leagues you can get in.“

Originally published as Tim Paine and Darren Lehmann in the frame for Adelaide Strikers’ head coaching job