Andrew McDonald has been appointed as the head coach of the Australian men’s team on Wednesday, two months after the shock departure of Justin Langer.
Australia Men’s Cricket Team Head Coach
A part of Australia’s successful 2021 T20 World Cup campaign and Ashes series victory over the Australian summer, McDonald faces a challenging 12 months, travelling to Sri Lanka and India before their World Cup title defence in October and November.
“The journey so far has been particularly pleasing, and I am honoured to be given this incredible opportunity for what is an exciting period ahead,” McDonald said.
“My plan is to build on the growth, depth and experience of the squad while working collectively with the group and across the game. There are many challenges in the short-term which I know excites the leadership group, the players and the staff. I’d also like to thank my family for their support.”
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley’s View
McDonald beat out a number of candidates who interviewed for the position, considered “one of the most important in Australian sport” by Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.
“Andrew has already shown he is an outstanding Head Coach and the vision he outlined for the role during the appointment process was both impressive and exciting, making him our clear choice.
“We are proud of the way the team played and the respect shown throughout the tour of Pakistan under the leadership of Andrew, Pat (Cummins) and Aaron (Finch), and really pleased Andrew is taking on the role permanently.”
McDonald will operate as head coach across the three formats, though Executive General Manager of High Performance and National Teams Ben Oliver acknowledges that split coaching teams may be necessary in certain situations.
“Some white ball series may be led by an assistant given the significant workload ahead and the opportunity to continue to develop our coaches and players.”
In October 2019, McDonald was appointed assistant coach to Justin Langer, he was interim head coach during the three-match ODI series in India in January 2020. Apart from his association with the Australian team, McDonald has coached Leicestershire County Cricket Club, Victoria, Melbourne Renegades (BBL) and Rajasthan Royals (IPL).
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