SYDNEY: Australian bowling great Shane Warne, so often the cause of England’s demise, offered on Monday to think about reviving the old enemy as the country’s next coach.

As England players flew home in the early hours following a final defeat in Sydney, Warne took to Twitter in answer to calls for him to apply for the role.

“To my English followers, I’m flattered that you would like me to consider the England job,” Warne tweeted.

“All I can say is — I will think about it!!!”

The comment could of course be a wind-up from the 44-year-old who, at the end of January, was named as spin consultant ahead of Australia’s World Twenty20 campaign starting in Bangladesh in March.

Cricket Australia said Warne would support head coach Darren Lehmann, providing specialist training for the squad’s spinners.

And Warne later made it clear Australia remained his number one concern.

“Re Eng job, I know it’s created a bit of interest hahaha,” he wrote. “I’m flattered to be considered, but my priorities, as always, are with the Aussies.”

The England job has been vacant since Andy Flower quit a week ago after losing the Ashes 5-0 on a disastrous tour Down Under.

Warne, who retired in 2007 with a then world-record 708 Test wickets, tormented England during his celebrated career, including a 1994 hat-trick, but was also well-known for his off-field antics.

Melbourne’s Herald Sun urged Warne to think again about his offer.

“You should be dismissing hare-brained ideas like that without a second thought,” it said on its website. “Surely you wouldn’t coach the Poms mate??” tweeted former batsman and colleague Michael Slater.

England’s one-day coach Ashley Giles is among the favourites to take over from Flower.

Giles, a former Test spinner, confirmed on Sunday that he would be ‘very interested’ in succeeding Flower as England’s team director.

Giles, who took over as limited-overs coach in 2012, was speaking after England suffered an 84-run Twenty20 defeat to Australia, which meant they lost the series 3-0.

“I’d be very interested in doing the job, definitely,” Giles said in an interview. “I’m not going to deny that and I’m sure I will be applying for the post. If I have to put an application in over the next couple of weeks then I’ll think about that and get it done.”

Giles has won 15 of his 38 matches in charge but he does not expect to be the only candidate interested in taking over from former Zimbabwe wicket-keeper/batsman Flower.

“I’m not silly, if it goes out to a process other people are going to apply,” added Giles who took 143 wickets during his Test career with England. “It’s one of the biggest jobs in cricket and I’d apply for it because I want to do it.

“As someone who was very proud to play for England I’ve been proud to coach the one-day side. To do the whole job would be a fantastic opportunity, but it’s hard work as well.”

Flower resigned after England’s 5-0 Ashes whitewash. England also lost the one-day series 4-1 to Australia.—Agencies