Position vacant

One of the game's best coaching jobs is currently available and will not be filled until at least September due to a lack of high-quality applicants. The facilities are as world-class as the support staff and the technology, and the location in Queensland is supposedly "beautiful one day, perfect the next". Yet a year after Tim Nielsen was announced as John Buchanan's successor in the national set-up, the head coaching position at Australia's acclaimed Centre of Excellence (COE) remains vacant.

Cricket Australia is demanding a candidate with international management or playing experience and after the raft of vacancies post-World Cup the hardest task appeared to be filtering the contenders. However, Buchanan wanted more time in the corporate world, Bennett King, who had been with West Indies, had already done the Academy job and while there was interest in Greg Chappell, there was also some relief when he accepted a post in India.

After John Wright, the preferred candidate, turned down the offer in June, Dav Whatmore, the former Bangladesh and Sri Lanka mentor, withdrew his resume on the eve of his interview to guide India's national academy in Bangalore. When the seemingly limitless international riches ran dry, the panel turned to Australia's local talent, which has been viewed enviously by the rest of the world and exported successfully since the 1990s.

State coaches were spoken to in depth, but the decision of New South Wales' Trevor Bayliss, the best-credentialled applicant, to move to Sri Lanka effectively ended the recruitment drive. Rather than being pushed into employing someone less qualified, Cricket Australia decided not to rush and appointed Brian McFadyen in an interim role.

A former coach of Tasmania and an Academy attendee in 1988, McFadyen joined the COE in 2005 and has juggled the responsibilities with his duties as the Australia Under-19 coach. He reached the final four of the domestic stage but did not interview well. By the time the search resumes after the 2008 intake has graduated, McFadyen will have held the position for almost 18 months.

As well as being a figurehead for the organisation, which has had Rod Marsh as its most famous leader, the job also includes state-of-the-art coaching, developing players on the fringe of the national teams, controlling the innovative programmes, overseeing tours and managing staff and relatively large budgets. The resources involve Troy Cooley, the bowling coach who turned England into Ashes winners, sports scientists and cricket specialists, major research assignments and facilities that most organisations would go in to debt to own.

The six-figure salary is not as lucrative or attractive as many international gigs and the location is another problem. Brisbane claims to be Australia's most livable city, but the top-class coaches or players who would fulfill the requirements have usually tired of travelling and are desperate to spend time at home.

It is why Wright stayed in New Zealand's South Island instead of moving to Queensland. The obstacle could also prevent players such as Justin Langer, who lives in Perth, and Adelaide's Darren Lehmann being attracted to the job. Both men have previously worked in the set-up and there are people inside the organisation who believe they could make a significant impact in the big chair with more formal credentials.

Despite the treading of water at the COE, which lost the batting coach Jamie Siddons to Bangladesh in October, there is no concern in the offices at Brisbane's Allan Border Field or in Cricket Australia's Melbourne headquarters. "One of the criteria we think is important for this sort of programme is the head coach must be the best," Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's general manager of cricket operations, says. "The Centre of Excellence wants to have the best coaches and best staff.

"Every applicant we got close to was engaged, or we didn't think was up to the standard. But do we compromise our prime objective or do we just appoint because it's the right place? We decided to wait."

Nobody will be pursued until September, by which time a handful of the state coaches will have gained international experience with the national team. Instead of hoping for someone to pop up, Cricket Australia will provide further training to their emerging off-field talent on the tours to Pakistan and the West Indies. When the applications are re-opened Tim Coyle (Tasmania), Terry Oliver (Queensland) and Matthew Mott (New South Wales) will have a better chance of satisfying the demanding criteria and McFadyen's skills will have developed.

Brown is also excited by the prospect of former international players being in the race and will feel comfortable making an in-house promotion for a job that is crucial to developing Australia's talent. Matthew Hayden is the only member of the current Test and one-day sides whose name is not embossed on the reception door at the COE.

"It's been a challenge," Brown says of the search. "We had the perfect person in Tim Nielsen, but we couldn't find someone with the right criteria. The easy decision would have been to appoint someone - the hard decision was to wait. Now we're redeveloping the next level."