Sydney, 06 November (H.S.): Former Australian batting great Mike Hussey will join the national men’s cricket team as a consultant coach ahead of its five-match T20 International series against England later this month. Cricket Australia announced the appointment on Friday. Hussey will also serve as a consultant coach for next year’s Ashes series and the 2027 ODI World Cup, scheduled to be held in southern Africa.

The 51-year-old has additionally been appointed T20 adviser to the national team for two major events in 2028 — the Los Angeles Olympic Games and the T20 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand. In this capacity, he will provide expert guidance on campaign strategy, opposition analysis, player scouting and performance-related matters.

Hussey is expected to take up his responsibilities almost immediately. He will provide coaching support during Australia’s five-match T20I series against England, beginning later this month, as well as the team’s Test series against New Zealand during the ongoing home season. He has undertaken similar assignments with the Australian team in recent years. Over the past three years, he has also been involved in the team’s training sessions in Perth ahead of Test series against England, India and Pakistan.

Since retiring as a player in 2016, Hussey has built an extensive coaching portfolio. He has been associated with the coaching set-ups of both the Australian and English national teams. He was part of Matthew Mott’s coaching panel when England won the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. He also served as Chennai Super Kings’ long-standing batting coach under head coach Stephen Fleming and took charge of Welsh Fire as head coach in this year’s edition of The Hundred.

Expressing his delight at taking on a more formal role with the Australian team, Hussey said he was excited about contributing to the side in a more meaningful capacity.

“This team has achieved so much in recent times. I hope I can add value to the coaching staff and players as we approach what promises to be an exciting and challenging period,” he said.

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald welcomed the appointment, noting that Hussey had previously been a highly valued member of the team's coaching staff. He said Hussey’s experience and expertise would complement the existing coaching group and prove beneficial to both coaches and players.

McDonald added that Hussey’s knowledge, gained through his experience as a player and coach across multiple formats, competitions and countries, would be invaluable to the team. He also highlighted the personal qualities that made him an important addition to the set-up.

Cricket Australia’s General Manager of National Teams, Ben Oliver, said that in his capacity as T20 adviser, Hussey would provide specialist input on campaign planning, opposition analysis, player identification and various aspects of performance.

Hussey represented Australia in 302 international matches across all three formats between 2005 and 2013. He was part of the Australian team that won the 2007 ODI World Cup and the side that secured a 5-0 Ashes whitewash against England in the 2006-07 series. He scored more than 5,000 runs in 79 Test matches at an average of over 51.

One of the most memorable moments of his career came in the semi-final of the 2010 T20 World Cup against Pakistan. His blistering unbeaten knock of 60 runs off just 24 deliveries helped Australia recover from a difficult position and clinch a dramatic victory.

Australia vs England ODI Series Schedule

First ODI: November 13, Perth Stadium.

Second ODI: November 15, Adelaide Oval.

Third ODI: November 18, Bellerive Oval, Hobart.

Note: The schedule provided in the source is for the three-match ODI series. The five-match T20I series against England is scheduled to follow later in November.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar