Andrew McDonald says transition will be tricky in ‘settled’ Aussie team

Australia’s ageing core of players can’t be rushed out the door too quickly, according to the coach who will oversee the next three years.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald is in no hurry to phase out senior members of the national side but says overseeing a transition in personnel will be a top priority.

McDonald will remain in charge of all three formats through to the end of a jam-packed 2027 schedule after extending his contract with Cricket Australia on Wednesday.

He did not rule out continuing his tenure beyond that point but said he was faced with the task of getting the “balance right” with his ageing core group of players.

At least 10 members of the side likely to face India in the first Test in Perth next month will be over the age of 30 and seven of those older than 33.

“There will be some transition – if you want to call it that – over the next few years, but we’re big believers that there’s no endpoint, or age shouldn’t be the determinant, young or old, as to whether you’re in the Australian cricket team,” McDonald said on Thursday.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald acknowledges the core of his side is ageing but says there’s no rush to move on to the next generation of players. Picture: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

“It’s very hard to change a settled team that’s performing really well. There’s historical moments, I think people take it back to the 1970s and 2007, where mass players have exited and they’ve struggled to perform at the same level.

“We’re not beholden to the past … I think if you get the selections right on the back of players exiting, then the transition is a lot smoother.”

McDonald, 43, said his “job satisfaction is high” almost three years into his role as head coach, having previously commented the position looked “hectic” before he took over from Justin Langer in early 2022.

He said the spread of duties between him and assistant coaches Dan Vettori, Michael Di Venuto and Andre Borovec had created a sustainable environment for him to lead the side in all three formats.

Unlike England counterpart Brendon McCullum, McDonald would not rule out coaching beyond 2027 – a year that includes a tour of India, an away Ashes series and an ODI World Cup in southern Africa.

“I’m not looking that far ahead … plenty to navigate through before 2027, but some incredible challenges and great opportunities that lie within that,” McDonald said.

McDonald (right) is eager to keep his team of assistant coaches, including former New Zealand captain Dan Vettori (left), together for the next three years. Picture: Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images

“Hopefully, (Vettori, Di Venuto and Borovec stay on) moving forward. Those people are incredibly important to the team and myself, so the idea would be to continue to surround myself with those people, and I think they’ve got an appetite to continue on, so I’m hoping that news will hopefully follow this news.

“To share that workload has probably given us a freshness to be able to push on beyond the term that was presented originally.”

McDonald said the Australian team under he and Test captain Pat Cummins were “better versions of ourselves than we were two years ago” but had to move carefully with its planning for the future.

“We’ve got different challenges that present as well. There’s no doubt the age profile of our team has been well debated and publicised,” he said.

“It’s about making sure we don’t exit senior players too soon and lose that knowledge within the playing group, so it’s important for us to get that balance right.”

Originally published as Andrew McDonald says transition will be tricky in ‘settled’ Aussie team