Wright pulls out of academy role

John Wright has withdrawn from the race to become the head coach at Australia's Centre of Excellence. Late last month Wright was considered the favourite to take over from Tim Nielsen but Cricket Australia and Wright have now confirmed the move is off.

"It didn't quite work out," Wright told NZPA. "I haven't been back in New Zealand long, and I was away for four-and-a-half years. I've got teenage kids. It's just not the right time." However, Wright said the opportunity to coach at the Brisbane-based academy was tempting.

"It's an enormously impressive facility," he said. "I've always been a great admirer of Australian cricket and the way they do things. They're a great example for anyone else that plays the game."

Wright would not rule out a role with New Zealand Cricket and there have been suggestions he could take the reins of the national team should John Bracewell's tenure come to an end. However, his comments would indicate he is not interested in another overseas posting at present.

A CA spokesman told Cricinfo there was no rush to find a replacement for Nielsen, the new Australia coach, at the Centre of Excellence. Matters have been complicated by the fact that several international positions remain vacant, notably with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"There are a lot of pieces of the jigsaw puzzle in international coaching," the CA spokesman said. "We want to get the right person for us and not be wedded to any particular time-frame."

Before Wright's name was first mentioned, it was believed CA had narrowed the field to Trevor Bayliss, the New South Wales coach, and Tim Coyle, who guided Tasmania to their first Pura Cup title in March. However, Bayliss has been linked to the Sri Lanka job and is flying to Colombo next week for an interview. Coyle today re-confirmed that he will remain with Tasmania in 2007-08.