ECB may have to double Flower's 300,000-pound wages if appoints Kirsten as head coach

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will have to at least double outgoing Test coach Andy Flower's salary of 300,000 pounds plus bonuses if it is to appoint Gary Kirsten as England's next head coach.

Kirsten, who coached India to No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings and the 2011 World Cup before leaving to coach his native South Africa, is seen as an ideal replacement for Flower, who resigned last Friday.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Kirsten now coaches the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Daredevils and is so well settled, both domestically and financially, that it would take a far higher sum than has been paid to an England coach to lure him from Cape Town, where he was born and lives.

The contract with Delhi Daredevils is thought to be worth more than 500,000 dollars-a-year for what is little more than two months' work and the report mentioned that Kirsten has a contract to work 50 days a year for South Africa as its batting consultant.

As South Africa's head coach, the report also said that Kirsten had a salary of 460,000 dollars- more than double that of his predecessors and given his reputation in India and South Africa, he can also charge high fees for other consultancy and ambassadorial work.

Unless the ECB is ready to break the bank, it will have to settle for Ashley Giles, the report added.