Cricket Australia rope in two new assistant coaches ahead of T20 World Cup 2021

Cricket Australia has appointed Michael Di Venuto and Jeff Vaughan as assistant coaches for the men’s team. Both the coaches come with a vast amount of experience under their belt and have coached several other countries in some capacity or the other. The duo will now join Justin Langer, who is the team’s head coach.

Di Venuto is already with the team ahead of Australia’s limited-overs tour to West Indies which begins on July 10. The 47-year-old has also worked with the team before as the batting consultant in 2013. He was again seen in the role in 2016 during the India-Australia series, as Di Venuto stepped in as head coach in place for Darren Lehmann, who was out due to an illness. Di Venuto’s moment in the sun came when his coaching stint with Surrey helped the team win a championship title in 2018.

Clearly, the appointment as an assistant coach for Di Venuto is a well-deserved one, when Australia are looking to enter the top two in all the formats of the game. “I’m excited to be rejoining the Australian team full time. I have spent some time around the group over the last month and really enjoyed being back with them,” Di Venuto told Cricbuzz.

“Since my last stint, I’ve gained terrific experience being Head Coach of Surrey CCC before COVID hit and also spent time with the Adelaide Strikers, Hobart Hurricanes, and Tasmania more recently.”

On the other hand, Vaughan was delighted to hear this news and termed it as a special moment in his career. Jeff Vaughan is a former South Australia player, who has also worked as a coach with South Australia and the Adelaide Strikers team, before heading to Tasmania in 2017 as the senior assistant coach.

Head coach Justin Langer excited

Australia head coach Justin Langer is thrilled with the prospect of working with Di Venuto and Vaughan and feels the duo will add a lot of value to the team, ahead of the team’s crucial Ashes series.

“This team is focussed on getting better as cricketers and people every single day and continuing to make Australians proud of us, on and off the field,” Justin Langer said. “It doesn’t get any better than an Ashes summer and, on behalf of the entire Australian Men’s Team, I very much look forward to Michael and Jeff joining us on the journey.”

“They are outstanding coaches and leaders in their respective fields. They will add so much expertise and value to this group. We are very excited to have them both on board.”