LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – Australia’s interim coach, Andrew McDonald, has held discussions with Cricket Australia (CA) about a full-time role but has little clarity about what the job entails, the 40-year-old said on Monday.
McDonald was put in charge ahead of the team’s Pakistan tour after Justin Langer left the job in February, rejecting a short-term extension.
The CA believes coaching across formats can be taxing for one individual and is open to splitting the role.
“The congested test series didn’t allow that,” McDonald told a news conference in Lahore, referring to talks with CA. “But with a few more gaps in this one-day series, I’ve had the opportunity.”
“Whether that becomes a follow-up conversation we’ll wait and see … Within the chats, there was no great detail or clarity on what the role would look like.”
On their first tour of Pakistan in 24 years, Australia won the test series 1-0 but their hosts prevailed in the one-dayers.
McDonald appears to have the backing of test captain Pat Cummins, who has described the coach as “fantastic”.
Asked if he wanted the full-time job, McDonald said: “It depends on what it looks like, how Cricket Australia see the job unfolding and looking like and we’ll get more detail on that going forward.
“I don’t really want to openly share what I think it should look like because that might put people in difficult situations throughout the process.”
Australia will conclude their tour of Pakistan with a one-off Twenty20 match in Lahore on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Robert Birsel)
