SL vs AUS: Australia Depart For Sri Lanka Series, Head Coach Andrew McDonald Stays Back In Melbourne After Testing Covid-19 Positive

Newly appointed Australia National Cricket Team head coach Andrew McDonald was found Covid-19 positive ahead of the Australia T20 squad’s departure to Sri Lanka and the head coach will now remain in Melbourne under isolation for seven days.

In the absence of Andrew McDonald, assistant coach Michael Di Venuto will step up and take the coaching responsibility. However, McDonald is expected to join the Australian team ahead of the second T20I game against Sri Lanka, which will be played on June 8.

Meanwhile, Australia will be taking a new-look backroom set-up to Sri Lanka, with three new assistant coaches, a new physiotherapist and a new psychologist on board.

Clint McKay will join Di Venuto and spin coach Sri Sriram for T20 and ODI series. Daniel Vettori and Andre Borovec will begin their tenure as full-time assistant coaches. Also, Nick Jones will be the physiotherapist and Mary Spillane will be the Psychologist.

We can elevate certain coaches at different times to take on different tours – Andrew McDonald

Previously, McDonald has said that he would like to distribute the coaching responsibility among assistant coaches for different tours.

“The great challenge for coaches and players is to manage your workload across the four years,” McDonald said.

“I’d like to think I have the coaching staff to step-up, and we can elevate certain coaches at different times to take on different tours and different challenges.

“While doing that it’s only growing the depth of our coaching staff…coaches will get exposed along the journey to help out the workload which is quite significant for a head coach.”

Meanwhile, Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch, who has been struggling for runs recently, has said that he is working on improving his technique.

“When you’re worried about the ball swinging back in your front pad, you can tend to open up which then has a bit of a flow-on effect,” Finch said on Monday.

“I just lost the ability to transfer my weight back through the ball … but (I’m working on) squaring up my technique (through) my hips and shoulders and feet.

“I’ve been through that plenty of times in my career. At times, you go through stages where you get a heap runs in a hurry and then go through some lean patches.”

Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade, who recently won the Indian Premier League title with Gujarat Titans, said that he is excited to play back-to-back cricket for the next few months before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

“I’ll basically just drop my kit off then head back over to Sri Lanka, come back (home) for about a month for some time off, play (England’s) Hundred for Birmingham and then seven or eight T20Is between now and the World Cup,” Wade said this week.

“I don’t think I’ll be pushing on too far after that at international level. I’m excited for the next three or four months, it’s going to be good time in my life and cricketing life, I’m going to enjoy it for sure.”

Also Read: England’s Oldest Test Cricketer Jim Parks Dies Aged 90

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