Channel Ten has no fears the sudden availability of the NSW and Sydney Sixers coaching jobs will tempt Ricky Ponting, who has just won the Indian Premier League at his first attempt, to abandon his Big Bash League punditry for a deeper move into coaching.
Jamie Siddons' appointment at the helm of South Australia was to have completed the state head-coaching ranks for next season. However, Trevor Bayliss' move to England has created vacancies for the dual roles he held: one being the biggest coaching job in domestic cricket, the other leading the reigning BBL champions.
Ponting's status as one of the most respected tacticians in Australian cricket was reinforced by him leading Mumbai to the IPL title last weekend, in his first season as coach.
The 40-year-old last week said the stint back with a team, the first since he retired as a player in October 2013, had got his competitive juices flowing again. He confirmed it was a profession he might eventually consider.
"You never say never, as far as these bigger jobs are concerned, and all of sudden ... with a few wins for the team in the IPL people are starting to talk about me being a future international coach, or whatever else," Ponting told ESPNcricinfo.
"The game is in my blood and competing is in my blood. I want to do the best I can do to keep enjoying that competitive feeling, because a couple of years out of the game with no cricket [was a difficult transition]. You can't go from being such a high-level performer and competitor to nothing. You've got to have something competitive like that [IPL] in your life."
While Ponting relished the two months he spent leading Mumbai it is believed the stint did not sufficiently whet his appetite for coaching to break his commentary commitments, with Sky Sports in England for the Ashes and Ten for the BBL, to chase either or both of the NSW and Sixers jobs.
Furthermore, he and his family are well settled in Melbourne, having relocated from Sydney immediately after his retirement.
Dave Barham, Ten's head of sport, said he expected NSW and the Sixers would be keen to gauge Ponting's interest in their coaching vacancies.
"For sure. Of course," Barham said. "I can't profess to be a judge of cricket coaches, but Ricky would be an unbelievable coach. He's a natural leader and he exudes leadership. People want to follow him, and it even happens in our commentary box.
"I have no doubt he'll be offered many coaching jobs over the period ... it looks to me like it interests him, and it would be a waste if he didn't [eventually]."
Barham said Ponting was contracted to be part of its BBL coverage until at least the 2016-17 season, having extended his initial two-year deal about a year ago.
"He's definitely staying with us for the next two years. There's no issues with that, that's great," he said.
Irrespective of that contract, Barham said Ponting was keen to continue his commentary duties with Ten.
"He is absolutely loving the Big Bash. I think he's enjoying it because he has a big say in how we do it. He's working with three of his best mates [Adam Gilchrist, Damien Fleming, Mark Waugh] ... and they're just as funny off the camera as they are on it."
Rather than the IPL title win causing Ponting to look at roles beyond commentary, Barham reckoned his recent experience in India would enrich the quality of his on-air contributions during Ten's BBL coverage.
"He comes loaded with information that no one will have," Barham said. "He now has got the greatest insight into the highest-profile T20 competition ... with an enormous amount of resources in statistics, and he'll come loaded with all the best information."
