Andrew McDonald Says There Is No Great Detail Or Clarity On Australia Coaching Job

Australia’s interim coach, Andrew McDonald has revealed that there is no clarity on the head coach job of the national team despite holding talks with Cricket Australia (CA) about a full-time role. McDonald was the head coach on Australia’s recent tour of Pakistan.

But the former Test allrounder remained coy on whether he wants the role full-time after leading the Test side to their first series victory abroad in six years. McDonald has emerged as the clear favourite to succeed Justin Langer and has earned strong public endorsements from numerous players, including Test captain Pat Cummins.

Langer had quit in February, after being offered a six-month extension when his tenure was up. He had expected an extension up to the T20 World Cup 2022 which would be held in Australia itself. But with Cricket Australia unwilling to do so, he quit in disgust.

I’ve Had The Opportunity To Speak With Cricket Australia, We’ll Wait And See: Andrew McDonald

Cricket Australia is running a global recruiting search to find the right candidate, with Andrew McDonald indicating that he was still awaiting further detail on the job’s demands. The CA believes coaching across formats can be taxing for one individual and is open to splitting the role.

Another front runner for the job is the Sydney Thunder coach and England’s 2019 World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss. He was, on Monday evening confirmed as the interim coach of Hundred side, London Spirit.

“The congested Test series didn’t allow that. But with a few more gaps in this one-day series, I’ve had the opportunity. With a few more gaps in this one-day series I’ve had the opportunity to speak with Cricket Australia.

“Whether that becomes a follow-up conversation, we’ll wait and see. It will be pretty much like the other people who have no doubt spoken to Cricket Australia.

Within that, there was no great detail or clarity on what the role would look like. That’s probably something that will be built into the next few steps (or) however many steps there are to the process,” McDonald said ahead of a one-off T20 against Pakistan in Lahore that follows a 1-2 ODI series defeat.

Asked if he wanted the full-time job, McDonald said: “It depends on what it looks like, how Cricket Australia see the job unfolding and looking like and we’ll get more detail on that going forward. I don’t really want to openly share what I think it should look like because that might put people in difficult situations throughout the process.”

Australia will conclude its tour of Pakistan with a one-off Twenty20 match in Lahore on Tuesday.

Also Read: Andrew McDonald Believes Aaron Finch Will Reclaim His Form Ahead Of The T20 World Cup