Justin Langer reckons Ricky Ponting would be the perfect fit to coach Tasmania and he's been doing his best to talk his former Australian teammate into taking the role.
The Tigers are on the lookout for a new coach after axing Dan Marsh with a year to run on his contract.
Tasmanian cricket is also in need of a new BBL coach after deciding not to renew Damien Wright's contract with the Hobart Hurricanes.
Ponting initially ruled himself out of taking up a coaching role with Tasmania.
But there's a chance he could change his tune after having some frank discussions with Langer during the pair's recent coaching stint together with Australia's Twenty20 side.
Langer said it would be a "no brainer" for Tasmania to try to recruit Ponting as their coach but the fact Ponting lives in Melbourne and has other commitments could make it tricky.
"He's got an incredible thirst for the game in cricket and he's got unbelievable knowledge, so he loves coaching," Langer said of the former Test captain.
"He certainly ticks every box to be a great coach.
"He and I have been great mates for so long. We've talked a lot about it over the past week. To me he's a natural coach.
"But only he can answer whether he wants to do it.
"I said to him it's so fulfilling, it's such a great project. And Tassie at the moment would be a great project."
Ponting initially nominated former Australia assistant coach Michael Di Venuto as an obvious candidate to replace Marsh.
And Langer said his assistant at WA - former Tigers paceman Adam Griffith - would also be ready to step up into a head coaching role.
Tasmania are bottom of the Shield table with just one win from seven games.
The Tigers will be aiming to get out of their rut when they take on second-placed NSW in Wollongong, starting Saturday.
Langer has helped mastermind a big turnaround for the Warriors this season, with three consecutive Shield wins catapulting WA back into the finals mix.
The Warriors are fifth just four points adrift of second spot.
But their finals hopes will be put to the test in their clash with runaway leaders Victoria at the WACA Ground, starting Saturday.
"For the last few years they've bullied us. they've been very aggressive," Langer said of Victoria.
"The pressure Victoria puts on opposition teams is a really good test for us.
"We've won our last three games and we're playing good cricket. We've got to keep trusting that."
Third-placed South Australia and fourth-placed Queensland will also be aiming to keep in touch with the top two when they square off at Adelaide Oval, starting Saturday.
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