KEY POINTS:
Former South African cricket coach Graham Ford is reportedly among three candidates shortlisted for the New Zealand coaching position.
The Press newspaper reported today that it believed Ford, another unnamed coach from South Africa and New South Wales state coach Matthew Mott were the applicants vying to replace incumbent John Bracewell.
Ford, 47, presently coaching English county Kent, has had an extensive coaching background.
He replaced Bob Woolmer as South Africa's coach in 1999 and helped guide that country to eight wins in 11 series.
He lost his position in the fallout following the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal in 2001, before becoming director of cricket at Kent in 2004.
Last year he was offered the job of coaching India after Australian Greg Chappell resigned. He initially accepted, only to decline two days later, citing family reasons.
The Press said that Mott, 34, was the only Australian to make the cut after another state coach, Greg Shipperd, of Victoria, also applied but was believed to have been passed over.
Mott is in just his second season in the state role and was also an assistant to former Australian coach John Buchanan at the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League.
The shortlisting of the trio means New Zealander John Wright, initially touted as a contender, will not make a return to fulltime international coaching.
It is thought that Wright, at present the acting high performance director for New Zealand Cricket, may still be involved in some frontline advisory coaching capacity.
Wright coached India from 2001-05.
Bracewell's contract with the national team expires in April, after which he will return to English county Gloucestershire.
- NZPA
