Australia names Michael Hussey as long-term batting coach

Australia has appointed 51-year-old Michael Hussey as a long-term batting consultant to lead the team's preparation for the 2027 Ashes and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The former batter joins the national staff as the team seeks to improve its record in the longest format of the game. Australia drew 1-1 with Bangladesh at home earlier this year and lost 2-1 in South Africa in their most recent series.

Hussey will begin his role when Australia faces England in a five-game T20 series starting on November 21. He will help the squad prepare for the first Olympic cricket tournament in 128 years, which takes place in Los Angeles, and the 2028 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

"I am extremely excited about being a part of the team in a more formal and meaningful role in the coming years," Hussey said in a statement. "This team has achieved so much in recent times, to which I hope I can add value to the coaching and playing groups ahead of what will be an exciting and challenging period."

The appointment follows a year of low scores for the Australian Test side. Two Tests during the previous Ashes series ended in just two days. In August, Australia was bowled out for 198 as Bangladesh recorded their first win on Australian soil. The team was dismissed for 99 and 111 in defeats against South Africa in the second and third matches of that series.

After the T20 series concludes on December 2, Australia will begin a pre-Ashes schedule that includes four home matches against New Zealand and a five-game tour of India. The team will play a one-off Test against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 11, a match marking 150 years of Test cricket. The five-match Ashes series is scheduled to run from June 18 to August 2.

Hussey played 79 Tests for Australia, averaging 51.52 with the bat. He debuted as a 30-year-old after the 2005 Ashes and retired from international cricket in early 2013. He won the 2007 50-over World Cup and the 2006 and 2009 Champions T20 titles. Currently the head coach of Welsh Fire in the men's Hundred, he also worked with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and served as a batting consultant for England during their 2022 T20 World Cup victory.