Andrew McDonald appointed assistant coach of Australia
Former Australia international Andrew McDonald was selected as the new assistant coach of the Australian side on Wednesday.
McDonald led Victoria to a Sheffield Shield title in his first year as coach and also won the previous edition of the Big Bash League with Melbourne Renegades. He has also been also chosen to lead Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred competition to be played next year in England.
Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia’s national teams manager, sounded optimistic about McDonald’s selection, stating that his leadership qualities will help Australian cricket in the long-run.
"We are excited to have Andrew join the Australian Men's Team… As a player, Andrew was an outstanding all-rounder, tactician and competitor and a popular teammate. And as a coach, he has demonstrated great leadership and enjoyed remarkable success in all formats.”
"We are confident our playing group will grow under Andrew's mentorship.”
Current head coach Justin Langer stated that McDonald will fit into their system of coaching quite easily and will be a huge addition to the coaching staff.
"Andrew complements our coaching panel perfectly. I have no doubt his all-round knowledge and man management skills will be a positive addition to our team… The coaching success Andrew has enjoyed around the world in a relatively short period of time is testament to his skill, dedication and knowledge of the game.”
Earlier, Australian limited-overs captain Aaron Finch had also sung McDonald's praises, complimenting his communication skills and man-management.
“I think he definitely at some point in his career will coach an international team… The great strength of his - the ability to communicate with every player in a list, thinks through every situation really well, doesn't make emotional decisions on anything, which I think is a huge plus as a coach, to be able to take that time to reflect and see what's best for the group in every decision that you make.”
"He's tactical - the tactical side of his coaching is second to none, and I think that he's as well-planned as a coach as I've ever seen. I've, obviously, known him a lot longer and dealt with him for a huge amount of time, so I'm a little bit biased in my opinions at times, as well, because he is such a great coach when it comes to all facets of the game."
As a player, McDonald featured in four Tests for Australia. His abilities with both bat and ball earned plaudits in Australian circles as, in 95 first-class matches, he took 201 wickets and scored 4825 runs.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on England New Zealand head to head, England New Zealand schedule, news, results, points table, most runs, most wickets and fantasy tips.