Australia favourites, but England could cause a surprise: Graham Gooch

How did it feel when a fellow Essex man Alastair Cook broke your record for most Test runs by an Englishman?
I was absolutely delighted. I have been coaching Alastair Cook since he was 18 years. Recently, we have been working very hard together. I suppose if someone's going to break your record, going to someone like him, an Essex boy and helping his development over the years, is quite satisfying to see him break the record. What I want to see him is to go on and score 10,000 runs and more. He is only 30 years of age. He is right in the best period. I always think the best years for a batsman is 25-35 years. He could have another four or five years of top-level Test cricket in front of him. 

Which way would the upcoming Ashes go?
England played well against New Zealand. They lost the second Test. There is no shame in that as New Zealand are a good side as well. It was a very exciting series. The cricket was played in the right spirit. And the quality of cricket was outstanding. England will be in a better spirit after this series, even though it was drawn (1-1), for the challenge for Australia. Australia will be the favourites, there is no doubt about that. They have got a very settled side. They have got an excellent bowling attack. It will be a tough series for England. They should approach it as a challenge and take the game to Australia. I don't think they should be subservient to Australia. They should meet the challenge and meet them head on. Australia will be the favourites but England could cause a surprise.

How do you view an Australian coaching England?
That is a new dynamic. I agree it has never happened before. Obviously you would prefer to have a guy from your own country to coach your team. I think Australia would say the same. I am not sure an Englishman would ever coach Australia, may be in the future. In Trevor Bayliss, I am pleased they have made an appointment. He is a good man. I do not known him personally. He has got a good track record. Everyone I have spoken to speaks highly about him. I wish him all the best. He has done well with Sri Lanka. He has done well in IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders and with New South Wales. I expect it to be a successful appointment.

Could not playing international cricket go against Bayliss?
Maybe, maybe not. That's what was argued against Peter Moores. Trevor Bayliss has had other international experience with Sri Lanka and obviously with a multi-national side in IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders. I think he has got a bit of a track record and that is good.

Bayliss could be an example of successful player need not necessarily making a good coach and vice-versa, isn't it?
I don't think one leads to the other. You could be the greatest player of all time but that does not mean you could be the best manager or coach. And vice-versa. He will have time to develop his ideas and the cricketing talent in the UK. Hopefully, he can make the best of that.

England drew their last two series. Is it fair to say the team have moved on from Kevin Pietersen?
England are concentrating on their performances. The Kevin Pietersen story will always be there in the background. They have got a settled batting line-up now and that is the way to go forward. You have got one eye on building for the medium- to long-term future. And the future of English cricket is the most important thing.

England had a miserable World Cup. You led England in a World Cup in Australia two decades ago. How tough is a World Cup in Australia-New Zealand?
It is commonly viewed that England's performances in the World Cup was not acceptable. It was way below the standard expected of England. Whatever team we put out, we should have qualified for the quarterfinals. And we did not. And one of the reasons Bayliss is being brought in is because he has a very good track record in limited-overs cricket – T20 and 50 overs – and hopefully he can improve the fortunes of our national side in those formats.

Did you enjoy your stint as England batting coach? How bad did you feel when your own pupil, Cook, had to tell you were no longer needed?
All good things come to an end. Obviously, after pretty poor performances by our team in the Ashes (losing 0-5 in 2013-14), the successful unit we had for four or five years, sadly, was always going to break up after some time. It broke up may be a year earlier than we hoped when we performed badly and there was always going to be some casualties from that. My role as batting coach was never going to go on for ever. It finished a little bit earlier than I liked and that's life.

Can Masters Champions League, of which you are a member of the governing council, help boost cricket in the UAE?
I think it is going to be a very exciting tournament, the Masters Champions League, not only for the people participating in it but also for cricket in the UAE. The UAE has already got a pedigree for international cricket with Pakistan playing their home games there and numerous other cricket tournaments taking place in that part of the world. So, there is a basis already there for cricket and the simple fact that greats of the recent past, icons of the recent past of the cricketing world will be going to the UAE to perform. Although they are retired, people still get excited by these players. They want to see these players, these heroes of the past perform. Although they might not be quite in the same physical condition that they used to be, the mind never dims, the competitive spirit of the mind never dims. So, I expect cricket to be competitive, exciting and am sure it will help enhance cricket in that part of the world.