In pics: Meet the next Australia cricket coach possible contenders

The fallout from the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa and the sight of three of his players in tears over it convinced former Australia coach Darren Lehmann to call stumps a year ahead of schedule.

Langer has long been viewed as the natural successor to Darren Lehmann coaching the men's national team, having already led the side in 2016 for an ODI tour of the West Indies when Lehmann took a break. A no-nonsense coach of high principles and an uncompromising leadership style, he is viewed in many quarters as the kind of hard task master needed to bring order back to a dressing room.

A good-natured, thoughtful man, Gillespie is respected across all cricket cultures, both domestically and internationally. His coaching CV is also strong. He picked up an underperforming Yorkshire side in England's County Championship and turned them into twice winners of the competition. Having recently taken over a management role at Sussex, there may be contractual and financial hurdles for cricket Australia to clear, should they offer him the job, but nothing that should prove insurmountable.

Ponting's success in captaining the side between 2004 and 2011, and near-bottomless wealth of cricketing knowledge, has long marked him out as a potential national team coach. And in Australia's time of need there is a suggestion he might be compelled to return to right the ship that has gone so drastically off course.

Australia's current bowling coach has been clear in his ambition to one day lead the Test side. He was a fine first-class bowler and is perceived as a deep thinker on the game. He coached Victoria during the 2016-17 season and was a stand-in head coach for Australia during a Twenty20 series in India last year.

The current England coach might be keen to return home after a mixed, and physically and emotionally draining, spell leading Australia's Ashes rivals. He is seen as one of the best coaches in the world in short-form cricket. Indeed his success taking Sri Lanka to a World Cup final, two IPL titles with Kolkata and leading the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League was the primary reason for England turning to him in the first place.

Cricket Australia has already put some faith in his expertise. Rogers has recently been installed as a high-performance coach, geared towards youth development and long-term planning. His greatest assets are his character and evidently expansive cricketing brain.