Cricket Australia announced on 6 November that Mike Hussey will consult for Australia's 2027 Ashes and ODI World Cup campaigns. He will also advise on the national side's short-format plans, with an England series as his first assignment.
Hussey's brief covers Ashes and World Cup
The appointment brings the former batter into Andrew McDonald's men's team as a consultant coach. Cricket Australia names the Ashes and the ODI World Cup in southern Africa as the two campaigns in that brief. The board describes his arrival as part of a wider run of major series and global events.
Hussey's other remit is as an adviser for Australia's Twenty20 plans ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics and the following Twenty20 World Cup, according to Cricket Australia's 6 November report. Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia's general manager of national teams, identified campaign strategy, opposition insights, player scouting and performance as areas for Hussey's input. That remit extends beyond his first series back with the squad.
The board says Hussey will provide coaching assistance during the England Twenty20 internationals later this month and during Australia's summer Test series against New Zealand. Head coach Andrew McDonald said Mike “has been a highly valued part of our staff in the past”. McDonald also cited Hussey's experience across formats and competitions in welcoming him to the group.
Previous work across national and franchise teams
This is a more formal role for a coach who has already worked with Australia. Cricket Australia's account recalls Hussey joining squad training in Perth before recent Tests. It also records his place in England's coaching group for its men's Twenty20 World Cup win, plus his work with Chennai Super Kings and Welsh Fire. Those assignments put his new Australia brief in the context of both Test preparation and short-format coaching.
SportsRivo compared Cricket Australia's announcement with the ICC's account of the appointment. Both place Hussey alongside McDonald, while the board explicitly separates his Ashes and ODI World Cup consultancy from the later Twenty20 advisory role. SportsRivo's earlier report on Glenn Maxwell's international retirement also records a recent change in Australia's short-format playing group; Hussey's appointment adds a coach to that programme.
What changes for Australia's campaigns
- McDonald's staff gains a consultant for the Ashes and ODI World Cup preparations, the two campaigns named in Cricket Australia's announcement.
- Australia's short-format side gains advice on strategy, opponents, scouting and performance, the areas Oliver identified for Hussey.
- Hussey is due to work during the England series and the summer Tests against New Zealand, before the later global tournaments in his brief.
England opener is on the calendar
Cricket Australia's 6 November fixture list schedules the first England Twenty20 international at the MCG for 21 November. The board says Hussey will provide coaching assistance during that series, ahead of the New Zealand Tests.
Source: Cricket Australia