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It is approaching D-day for those who would be England coach, and for those who sit in judgment. Although the panel will not announce the decision on which man succeeds David Lloyd until they have spoken to all four candidates, the six men who sit on it should have a fair idea of the winner's identity by the time stumps are drawn at Lord's this evening.

Today's deliberations have been complicated by South Africa's refusal to release Bob Woolmer for interview until their involvement in the World Cup is over.

Quite rightly, they think that their coach should be with the players as they prepare for Thursday's semi-final against Australia at Edgbaston. If they get through that match, the final is at Lord's on Sunday, which means that the first day Woolmer could meet the panel is next Monday.

Until two weeks ago, Woolmer was the favourite. However, since he has made it absolutely clear that he will take the winter off, no matter what, in order to rest and to spend time with his family in Cape Town, his chances have receded. That, in itself, is no reason for excluding him. If he is considered to be the best man for the job, it should be kept open until next year. There may be other reasons for looking elsewhere but that is not one of them.

Given the uncertainty about Woolmer's position, Duncan Fletcher has emerged as a strongly backed runner. Whereas Woolmer went from England to South Africa, Fletcher has travelled the other way. Originally from Zimbabwe, he worked with Western Province before joining Glamorgan, whose players he coached to the championship two years ago.

He is seen as a ``hard man'' who will not tolerate sloppiness, and in the current climate that has clearly won him a few marks. Brian Bolus, the chairman of the England management advisory committee, is thought to be in his corner, and he is not a bad sponsor to have.

The other candidates being interviewed are Dav Whatmore and Jack Birkenshaw. Whatmore, the Lancashire coach, earned his spurs with Sri Lanka when they won the last World Cup and has not done badly at Old Trafford, where Lancashire won two one-day trophies last season and finished second to Leicestershire in the championship.

Birkenshaw, the Leicestershire coach, has the best recent domestic record having led the club to two championships in the last three years. He is a highly respected coach of the old school and he has Lloyd's endorsement, for what it is worth, as a man who would be familiar with the set-up.

The feeling is growing, however, that England would be better off with a coach who is unfamiliar with the set-up. In that regard, Woolmer counts as an outsider despite his career with Kent and England.

It is partly for that reason that Fletcher - Duncan Who? - has emerged as a strong candidate. People within the game, from Bolus down, feel the battle must be won to change attitudes and a fresh face might assist the process of transformation.

Besides Bolus, the panellists include Lord MacLaurin, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, and Simon Pack, the board's international teams director. There are two county representatives in Dennis Amiss, the Warwickshire chief executive, and David Acfield, the chairman of Essex.

But the sixth man may prove to be the most helpful. Hugh Morris, the board's technical director, and a man for whom everybody has a good word, played under Fletcher when Glamorgan won the championship two years ago. If the other five want to know what sort of chap he is, they need only ask their comrade.