Craig McDermott to part ways with Australia after World T20

Australia bowling coach Craig McDermott has decided to step down from his position as bowling coach after the conclusion of the World T20 2016 in India. Earlier, assistant coach Michael di Venuto too had stepped down from his position to take up the coaching reigns at Surrey for the upcoming England County championship.

McDermott took 291 wickets in a career spanning 71 Test matches for his country. A statement from Cricket Australia has reported that McDermott turned down a contract extension to pursue other business interests.

“Its been a thrill to have been able to help the players reach their potential, and to see them achieve such feats as the 5-0 Ashes win at home, defeating South Africa in South Africa and winning last year’s World Cup,” McDermott said.

“I’d love nothing more than to finish this stint with victory in the World T20 in India.”

Australia coach Darren Lehmann expressed his disappointment over the exit, saying that his loss would be heavy for the Australian side. McDermott has been key in improving the bowling attack. Especially, following the retirement of Mitchell Johnson, the Australian attack has become a force to reckon with. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson have been impressive over the past year.

“He has played a key role in developing our young group of fast bowlers including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile.

“Our bowlers have benefited enormously from his experience and insight and they are all better cricketers thanks to his coaching and hard work.”

Batting coach Michael di Venuto made his exit announcement public during the tour of New Zealand. The tour saw the likes of Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns and Adam Voges make a mammoth number of runs.

Di Venuto will leave to join former county Surrey after the Australian series against South Africa. The series comprises of 3 T20 internationals and will begin on Friday.

Former Australian batsman and commentator Greg Blewett will fill the void left by Di Venuto.