Aussies set to take a punt on Ponting
Ricky Ponting is in the frame to join Australia’s coaching staff for the epic winter campaign in England after the exodus from the national team set-up continued this week with the departure of assistant coach David Saker.
Already on the hunt for a new head of performance and selector, Cricket Australia (CA) must now find a new bowling coach after Saker handed in his resignation, effective immediately.
Former bowling coach Troy Cooley, now working at CA’s National Cricket Centre, will take over from Saker for the white-ball tours against India and Pakistan as CA looks for a successor before this year’s Ashes and World Cup campaigns. Cooley’s return to the national side was slammed by test great Geoff Lawson, who wanted the role filled by a state bowling coach.
Former Tasmania seamer Adam Griffith will be one of the leading contenders to take over long term, having previously filled the role under Justin Langer during their time together at Western Australia.
Griffith has since returned to his home state to be head coach for both Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes, who are top of the table in the Big Bash League.
It’s understood Ponting is in the running to join Langer’s support team for part of Australia’s assignments in England. The former test captain had a coaching role last year during the one-day international series against England, which was Langer’s first at the helm since being appointed.
Ponting was Darren Lehmann’s right-hand man for a Twenty20 triseries last year and had also assisted Langer in the format for matches against Sri Lanka in 2017 which clashed with a test tour of India.
More recently, Ponting was invited by Langer to a training session before the Perth test, where he worked closely with Aaron Finch, who made his only half-century of the season the day after.
Ponting’s commitments mean it’s unlikely he will be available for the full stretch in England but any involvement by one of the country’s greatest players will be a coup for CA.