Trevor Bayliss, the World Cup‑winning former England head coach, has held talks with Cricket Australia about the vacancy left by Justin Langer’s post-Ashes departure in February.
Bayliss, 59, is back at Lord’s this summer and will be reunited with Eoin Morgan, his England white-ball captain, having been named as the interim head coach of London Spirit in the Hundred following the death of Shane Warne last month.
Some have viewed this new role as a sign that Bayliss’s interest in coaching Australia is over but the Guardian understands discussions with CA took place last week as the governing body assesses its options.
Andrew McDonald, Langer’s former assistant, is the front-runner to take over, having led the coaching staff during the recent tour of Pakistan that delivered a historic 1-0 Test series win. Though a 2-1 defeat in the one-day international leg of the trip followed, that result is unlikely to diminish his prospects.
“[McDonald] is just a great operator,” Pat Cummins, Australia’s Test captain, said in the aftermath of that victory. “The boys absolutely love him. He’s very diligent, very thorough and strategic and organised. He’s a huge part of this tour win. It’s not my place to employ the coach but ‘Ronnie’ has been fantastic.”
McDonald, 40, has similarly spoken to CA in the past week but stopped short of declaring his interest publicly when asked about it, revealing there was “no great detail or clarity on what the role would look like’’ during the talks.
It appears Australia are still to decide whether the role of head coach should be split between Test and white-ball international cricket given the crowded fixture schedule, something the England and Wales Cricket Board is also considering for its men’s set-up once a new managing director is appointed.
If so, it may be that Bayliss and McDonald – both known to be popular among the current Australia squad – find roles in a rejigged coaching set-up, with the former’s past success possibly leaning him towards the limited-overs teams.
