England pair Walker and Phillips out until the World Cup
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has been appointed to an expanded role in charge of the Australian team, bringing with it a new workload and a new coach.
A three-man team has been formed for the World Cup, with Simon Katich, his former Brisbane coach, joined by Tim Nielsen and coach Graham Arnold. All three will have been involved in the Australian set-up in some way over the past two years, although Arnold left in March 2012 after accepting a job with the Australian Cricket Board.
Waugh and Nielsen were in charge of Australia’s tour of New Zealand last winter and were also involved in the selection process for the New Zealand-Australia ODI series that followed.
Waugh’s position is the most significant promotion to Australia for a long time. After spending a year as vice-captain during the 2011-12 Ashes, he returned to the captaincy for the three-match series against South Africa.
The 38-year-old is expected to take charge of the squad from June 22. Australia is due to face South Africa in a one-off match in Hobart this Sunday in the opening round of the World Cup. The team will then host Pakistan in their semi-final, after which they will go on to play the final.
But before then, Australia will attempt to win its first major tournament match since 2005, the ICC Champions Trophy in England, in order to go through the group stage.
“I’m delighted,” Waugh said. “I feel, looking back on it, I was extremely fortunate. I’d met with a good group of people in my role with Australia A, to be able to see what they’d made of the job and then having Simon come on board has made my job that little bit easier.”
Waugh is one of only six Australians to have appeared in an ICC Trophy final. The others are Phillip Hughes, Dean Jones, Brett Lee, Michael Clarke and Martin Crowe.
“Australia are always, always trying to get as many as they can in as many tournaments,” Waugh said. “The Champions Trophy for them is always an important tournament and I’m sure when I get the opportunity
