Table of Content
Australia have added former batting great Mike Hussey to their coaching setup in a bid to resolve recent batting difficulties ahead of the upcoming Ashes series in England next year.
Coaching Appointments and Schedule
The announcement was made on Friday, confirming that Hussey’s tenure will encompass the 2027 50-over World Cup in Africa, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and the T20 World Cup later that same year. The 51-year-old, who accumulated 302 appearances for Australia across all formats of the game, is scheduled to commence his duties during the upcoming T20 series against England, which begins on November 21.
Addressing Recent Batting Struggles
The Australian Test team has encountered increasing criticism regarding their batting performances following a 2-1 series loss in South Africa in October. During that tour, Australia suffered collapses of 99 all out in the second Test in Gqeberha and 111 all out during the final day of the series-decider in Cape Town. These difficulties followed an unexpected nine-wicket defeat at home against Bangladesh in August, which marked Australia’s first-ever Test loss to the Tigers.
“I am extremely excited about being a part of the team in a more formal and meaningful role in the coming years,” Hussey stated.
“This team has achieved so much in recent times, to which I hope I can add value to the coaching and playing groups ahead of what will be an exciting and challenging period,” he added.
Experience and Background
Widely known by the nickname ‘Mr Cricket’, Hussey is embarking on his second tenure with the Australian coaching staff, having previously served as a consultant during the 2016 T20 World Cup in India. In addition, he held a similar advisory role for England during their 2022 T20 World Cup victory in Australia and spent eight years working under England’s new Test head coach Stephen Fleming as the batting coach for the Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League franchise.
“Mike has been a highly valued part of our staff in the past and brings a considerable skill set which is complementary to the coaches and players,” Australia head coach Andrew McDonald explained.
“Not only is his expertise as a player and coach across multiple formats, competitions, countries invaluable, so are his qualities as a person,” McDonald concluded.
