Andrew McDonald has officially been appointed as the head coach and selector of the Australian cricket team.
He replaces Justin Langer in all three formats after signing a four-year contract.
McDonald, who has been the senior assistant and bowling mentor since late 2019, took over as interim coach for the Pakistan tour after Langer quit.
He steadied the course of a ship that could have had a very messy outcome and led the team to a 1-0 Test series win away from home, receiving praise from Test captain Pat Cummins along the way.
Australia lost the ODI series 1-2 largely through Babar Azam’s heroics but recovered to win the one-off T20I in Lahore during his run.
McDonald has coached Australia on several tours during Langer’s four-year tenure while the former coach rested, including an ODI series in India in 2020, a five-match T20I tour of New Zealand in 2021, and a five-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
Cricket Australia did conduct a global search for a new men’s coach following the departure of Langer via a recruitment firm and sounded out a number of potential candidates including former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, Trevor Bayliss, and current Australia women’s coach Matthew Mott.
McDonald’s popularity with the playing group and the team’s recent results turned the tide in his favor.
McDonald has vast coaching experience having coached Victoria and Melbourne Renegades to four Australian domestic titles, including completing the Sheffield Shield, Marsh Cup, and BBL treble in the same season in 2018-19.
He has also been head coach of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and was hired as head coach of Birmingham Phoenix for the inaugural Hundred but was unable to coach in person due to Australia commitments.
Andrew McDonald will also sit on the three-man selection panel alongside chairman George Bailey and third selector Tony Dodemaide for all three formats.
