After the sacking of Brendon McCullum as England’s Test head coach, Andy Flower, who was considered to be the front-runner for the role, ruled himself out of the possibility of coaching the side. Flower, already in charge of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, has enjoyed a successful stint, having lifted two successive titles.

The discussion has now shifted to who could take over as England's Test head coach, with Justin Langer and Stephen Fleming emerging as two of the leading contenders for the vacant role.

England's next Test assignment begins on August 19 with a three-match home series against Pakistan, leaving the England and Wales Cricket Board with limited time to appoint a successor. While Flower's decision has narrowed the field, Butcher argued that the ECB should not be criticised for finding itself in its current position.

Speaking on the

Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, he said: “I don't think you can accuse them of having made a mess of it over the last six months. What they were hoping was that, by not sacking everybody after the Ashes or waiting until the T20 World Cup was over, things would improve and the guys who were in charge would get through the summer. We said months ago on the podcast that they had another chance, but they would have to be spotless through the summer. Of course, they were anything but."

He continued: “They hoped against hope that they wouldn't have to do what they've now done, which is sack the coach. They obviously didn't know that Ben Stokes was planning on stepping away either. So I don't think you can accuse them of making a mess of it by not seeing this coming six months ago, because that was never the plan. The plan was for these guys to still be in situ [place] by the time the 2027 Ashes came around.”

Butcher also said he was not surprised by Andy Flower's decision to rule himself out of contention. With the former England coach already committed to two franchise teams, including one that has enjoyed considerable success, taking on the demands of an international role was always likely to be a difficult proposition.

“But what is, without question, is that now they find themselves in a position with the sacking having been made because, of course, they could have decided not to do that; they hadn’t taken the necessary measures perhaps, to make sure they had somebody willing to say yes once they pulled the trigger," he said.

The conversation then turned to Justin Langer as a potential successor, with Butcher claiming that he found the prospect of an Australian taking charge of England "funny".

“Let me not be misunderstood here. I don’t find Justin Langer and his coaching credentials hilarious at all. I find the idea that somebody that far to the opposite side of where Baz McCullum was and being as unmistakably Australian just would be too much. It would be so funny.”