Ryan Campbell in frame for Durham head coach job
Ryan Campbell, the former Netherlands coach, is among the contenders for the vacant head coach role at Durham, ESPNcricinfo understands.
Campbell was put in an induced coma in April after going into cardiac arrest and Netherlands appointed Ryan Cook, the South African, as head coach while Campbell recovered. He has recently returned to the national set-up and has been acting as a consultant during their T20 World Cup campaign.
Durham recently advertised for a new head coach after James Franklin left the club at the end of the 2022 season, with applications due to close on November 11. Campbell, 50, is understood to be interested in the job and spent several years alongside Durham’s director of cricket Marcus North during his playing days for Western Australia.
Campbell recently told ESPNcricinfo that with his family settled in the Netherlands he could look for opportunities in the UK. “My family is very settled in Europe. The kids are in school. We’ll only move if there is something set in stone,” he said. “The romantic in me would be keen to coach in Australia but it’s tough to get a job there. If it means in the UK or somewhere else, so be it.”
Neil Killeen, Durham’s assistant coach and bowling coach, is another potential candidate, and is due to travel to the UAE with England Lions this weekend. Along with Jon Lewis, the ECB’s pace-bowling coach, Killeen will oversee the seamers on the tour – including Matthew Potts, with whom he has worked closely at Durham.
Steve Harmison, the former England fast bowler, spent the final weeks of last season with Durham as a “coaching mentor” but is not believed to be a contender for the head coach role. Instead, he is a candidate for the vacancy as England’s national selector, which remains unfilled after being advertised two months ago.