Shane Warne aiming for a coaching role with Australia

Australian spin legend Shane Warne has reportedly volunteered to coach Australia’s Twenty20 (T20) outfit during the three-match series against Sri Lanka in February next year. Warne, who captained and coached the still-defunct IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals to the title in 2008, is said to have contacted Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s Head of Team Performance, regarding the coaching role. If hired, this will not be the first time Warne will be working with the Australian team.

Australia will be playing a Test match in India a day after the third T20 match against Sri Lanka in Adelaide on February 23, and hence the Test squad, along with full-time coach Darren Lehmann, will be away.  Warne’s coaching stint not only opens up opportunities for local players featuring in the Big Bash League (BBL) but also becomes a mini-audition for Australia’s next coach.

He was a coaching consultant for the T20 leg of the tour when Australia travelled to South Africa before the World T20 in 2014. Besides Warne, others who seem to be in the radar are Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris and Ricky Ponting, Australia’s former captain.

Brad Haddin, the 38-year-old former wicketkeeper from Australia, has lately been working with the Australia ‘A’ side, while Harris, who has been vocal about his aspirations to become Australia’s bowling coach, worked as an assistant coach during Australia’s 5-0 whitewash by South Africa in the recently concluded One-Day International (ODI) series.

Haddin and Harris will be traveling to New Zealand in January next year for the Chappell-Hadlee series. With regular bowling coach David Saker and batting coach Graeme Hick heading to India for early preparations, Harris and Haddin will be hired as consultants to mentor bowling and fielding respectively.

Despite other names like Jason Gillespie, Brad Hodge and Michael Hussey doing the rounds, Cricket Australia maintains that the coaching position is still open.

“We are speaking to a number of people about the prospect of coaching the T20 International side during Sri Lanka series due to Darren Lehmann and David Saker being in India. At this stage no decision has been made,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.

Ponting, Mumbai Indians’ coach in their successful IPL 2016 campaign and favourites by far to take up the makeshift coaching role for Australia next year, confirmed the same.

“Darren (Lehmann) will be away with that (Test) team, so they will need someone to coach the Australia T20 team here in Australia.. I’m not saying that’s me… Let’s wait and see over the next few months and there will be an announcement I’m sure,” he told Triple M’s Rush Hour.