COULD Dale Benkenstein be the next Durham coach?

The ex-captain has settled his wife and three children into a house just outside Durham City and plans to start doing his coaching certificates with a view to staying with the club.

Benkenstein has two more years on his playing contract after this season, after which the club might decide to switch Geoff Cook back into the Director of Cricket role he adopted during Norman Gifford and Martyn Moxon’s reigns as head coach.

Benkenstein proved an inspirational leader during his three years as captain and will be 37 when his current playing contract ends. One way or the other Durham will want to keep him involved.

With the Twenty20 Cup starting shortly, Benkenstein will be available for Durham, which might not have been the case had the Indian Cricket League gone ahead last winter.

Last season’s beaten domestic finalists, Kent, were barred from taking up their place in the Champions League because they fielded two players who were involved with the ICL and, given the money involved, Durham would not have risked the same fate.

“I’m happy to call it a day with the ICL,” said Benkenstein.

“There is talk of it being resurrected in October, but we’ve seen nothing in writing.

I’ve had a taste of it and enjoyed it.

“The opportunity arose at a time in my career when I did not want to play 12 months a year, and the money was too good to turn down.

“The main reasons it didn’t happen last winter were that the recession hit the cash flow and after the Mumbai bombings India wouldn’t allow the Lahore team to have visas, and they were one of the main draw cards. We are out of contract now and if we don’t sign again the Indian board are happy to lift any bans, which means I can play for Durham in the Twenty20.

“A similar situation could arise with a planned Twenty20 tournament in the United States. It doesn’t have ICC backing and we’ve all had emails from the players’ union telling us to be aware of that.”

Benkenstein is delighted that Twenty20 is attracting more people to cricket, even if most of the audience are unlikely to appreciate his intellectual approach to it.

“Twenty20 will become the most complex form of the game because the margins are smaller,” he said. “One little mistake can make a huge difference.

Team planning and game plans have to be done over the whole tournament, and if you don’t nail your game plan you’re out of it.

“The only way Twenty20 will have a negative influence is if young players just want to play that form of the game and aren’t interested in learning how to bat for a long time.

When you think what it means to captain your country it’s a bit worrying to see Chris Gayle come back from the IPL two days before a Test series.

“If you are captain of you country that should come first – you have to make sure your troops are ready.”