Michael Vaughan, Alec Stewart both interested in becoming England's new director of cricket

Former England skippers Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart have revealed that they are both interested in becoming the country's new director of cricket after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the job as part of a restructure following managing director Paul Downtown's sacking.

Vaughan said that he was more than open to the role, while Stewart, who played a record 133 Tests, said that if the ECB wants to speak to him, he would speak to them of course. But Stewart, who is Surrey's director of cricket, added that the ECB would have to seek permission from his county first.

Stewart claimed that one would be silly not to listen, adding that that's not just him, that's anyone involved in the game who feels they can make a difference at the top level, the BBC reported.

Vaughan, who won more Tests - 26 - than any other England captain and scored 5,719 Test runs at an average of 41.44, said that he is certainly one of the few who would have the phone ready to have a conversation, whether in this role, another role, or a forward-thinking visionary trying to move English cricket forward.

Downton left his post on Wednesday, a month after England were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stages. He was also involved in the sacking of former England captain Kevin Pietersen in February 2014.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said Downton's departure was about being accountable for reaching the standards they aspire. He added that the new role would have a clear focus on delivering a world-class performance environment for all formats.

Vaughan, a fan of Harrison, said that English cricket has to look deeper than just removing one person, insisting that the game has to change structurally, adding that removing Downton is not going to turn it around overnight.