Cricket Australia seems reluctant to go down that path of splitting the coaching role but as part of the “transition” after the messy Justin Langer exit, there will never be a better time to divide the duties between the Test and white-ball squads
The hectic schedule, onerous touring and intense pressure that comes with the role can clearly wear down even the most hardened coach within the space of a few years.
Having separate coaches could work as long as they have a good working relationship and there is leadership above them that provides support when needed but also steps in quickly if friction arises.
The dust is still settling surrounding the abrupt end of Langer’s term as head coach, but it is apparent CA was slow to react to concerns about his coaching style, which led to a further deterioration of his relationship with the players and ultimately undermined his authority.
If the execs had stepped in earlier and resolved the issues when they were first brought to their attention, there was a chance that could have repaired Langer’s rapport with the team but because they were slow to react, the issues persisted until it reached an untenable situation.
CA chief executive Nick Hockley spoke a lot about “role definition” and having “a project-focused approach” which he believed had been successful recently when bombarded on the weekend in his media conference with questions about the last few months of Langer’s tenure.
He seemed reluctant to endorse the possibility of appointing specific coaches for the three formats in the modern game.
CA will likely retain a similar structure of a figurehead with three assistants but Hockley indicated they are considering switching “who takes on a leading role on particular campaigns, or particular series”.
“That’s something we’ve been talking about, but certainly we think it’s really important to have an over-arching head coach. And we think it’s really important to have a level of continuity and connection between the different formats,” he explained.
Andrew McDonald will oversee the five-game T20 home series against Sri Lanka which starts on Friday night at the SCG, as was always planned while Langer took a mid-summer break.
As the interim coach announced after Langer resigned, he will also be at the helm in Pakistan when that touring squad leaves at the end of the month for the first tour to the war-torn nation since 1998.
It remains to be seen whether he will apply for the job full-time or whether he is happy to stay as the senior assistant. He is the kind of understated personality who would complement another coach if the role was carved up between the long and short formats.
The addition of George Bailey last year as selection chair gives CA greater flexibility to be innovative with the coaching structure.
As a recently retired player – Bailey is just over two years removed from his playing days – with a deep level of knowledge of domestic cricket and the current players, his intel in the camp is like having another assistant coach.
At the very least, he can pass on strengths and weaknesses of players to the coaches to help the likes of Scott Boland, Marcus Harris, Jhye Richardson and Alex Carey make the step up from domestic dominance to the international arena.
Bailey and the head of high performance, if that remains Ben Oliver, could also be charged with making a call on player availability if CA went with two coaches for short and long formats.
Test cricket should almost always have primacy in this regard but there could be occasions in the lead-up to a white-ball World Cup where calls need to be made if disputes arise about a multi-format player’s workload.
Read Justin Langer's full statement herehttps://t.co/3z49BGy2tn
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 6, 2022
You could argue there are not enough sets of eyes under the current set-up to monitor the three formats of Australia’s domestic scene that filters into the men’s national sides.
Bailey and fellow selector Tony Dodemaide shared the responsibility of picking teams with the sole head coach.
With six teams in each of the Marsh Cup one-day competition and Sheffield Shield plus another eight in the BBL, that’s a lot of territory to cover for three people when it comes to choosing teams, especially when one of them has a full-time role coaching the national squad.
Langer’s predecessor, Darren Lehmann, coached for more than five years and fell on his sword before his contract was up following the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. He recently admitted he spent a year too long in the job and warned Langer burnout while urging him to walk away before he got pushed.
The demands of international cricket have changed enormously since Bob Simpson became the first national coach more than 35 years ago. Now is an ideal opportunity to move with the times.
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