Paul Collingwood ‘desperate to help out’ new England coaches, says Rob Key

Rob Key wants Paul Collingwood to remain part of the England coaching set-up, despite plumping for Australia’s Matthew Mott to oversee the men’s white-ball teams.

Collingwood led Test and limited-overs expeditions to the West Indies this winter, but Mott was the preferred candidate to share head coaching duties alongside ex-New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.

Key admitted he would have favoured hiring two English coaches after splitting red and white-ball positions following Chris Silverwood’s sacking but insisted that was not the primary consideration.

However, England’s director of men’s cricket – who revealed Paul Nixon, Jon Lewis and Richard Dawson were also considered for the role Mott has received, while it is understood Mark Alleyne was among the interviewees – is eager to expand and diversify the coaching talent pool in this country.

And, while the future role of Collingwood, who was one of Silverwood’s assistants, is yet to be defined, Key spoke enthusiastically about the 2010 T20 World Cup-winning captain.

“I’d love to have been able to appoint two English people in this role,” Key said. “But it wasn’t going to be the criteria for selection – the first one was to get the best people you possibly can.

“There were a lot of guys that were in the running who got close. But he was fine, Colly. He’s always been a massive supporter of England and he’s desperate to help out Matthew Mott and Brendon McCullum.

“The players are sometimes the most brutal judges and all of them speak very highly of Paul Collingwood. He is in the system. He is an asset in our environment, but where he’s going to be for the whole summer, I don’t think we know until the coaches come in.”

Mott has had seven years of sustained dominance with