Australian Women’s Team: Shelley Nitschke will lead the women’s national team for the upcoming four years, according to a statement from Cricket Australia. The 45-year-old was appointed temporary head coach in May after Matthew Mott relocated to England. During that time, he led the Australian team to a tri-series victory in Ireland and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
Nitschke was the front-runner for the permanent position since he had been Australia’s assistant coach since 2018. Nitschke, one of the best all-rounders in the world, made her Australian debut in 2004 when she was 28 years old. Since then, she has played in 80 ODIs, 36 T20Is, and six Tests. Currently serving as the head coach of the Perth Scorchers in the WBBL, Nitschke previously held the position while representing her nation.
“I’m honoured to have been given this opportunity to lead the team full-time and to continue to build on the legacy created by Matthew Mott. While I enjoyed my time working as an assistant coach, I feel the time is right to step up and lead this group in what’s shaping as a new era with a new-look coaching group and the retirement of Rachael Haynes,” Nitschke said.
“The loss of Rach will no doubt be felt, but it presents a great opportunity for others to put their hands up both from a leadership perspective as well as with the bat and in the field. Our challenge is to ensure the team continues to evolve; we’ve seen teams like India take their game to the next level and it’s important that the players feel they have the support they need to keep getting better every day,” she added.
Our team keeps getting stronger and stronger: Nitschke
Confirmation of Nitschke’s support group’s makeup is awaited. Nitschke’s debut as the team’s new head coach will be the T20I trip to India, which is set for December. In January, Australia will host Pakistan before leaving for South Africa to compete in the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup.
“Our team continues to go from strength to strength and I’m excited to see what this group can achieve next; there’s some important cricket on the horizon including the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in February and away Ashes next winter, so it’s a great time to be involved,” she concluded.
