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Hussey tipped for coaching role: report

Mr Cricket could be Australia's stand-in coach for their T20 International series against Sri Lanka in February

Former Test batsman Mike Hussey has been tipped to be appointed as Australia’s stand-in coach for their Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka this summer.

With Bupa Support Team head coach Darren Lehmann to accompany the Test squad to India for their overlapping tour in February, Cricket Australia have confirmed they will need a caretaker coach for three-match T20I series at home.

While the likes of Jason Gillespie, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne have indicated varying degrees of interest in taking the reins, Hussey appears to be the front-runner for the post according to a Fairfax report.

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The 79-Test veteran travelled to India earlier this year as a batting consultant with Australia for the World T20 tournament before being enlisted as an assistant coach with Australia A for their four-day games against South Africa A and India A over the winter.

Hussey called time on a decorated international and domestic career in Australia last summer after leading the Sydney Thunder to their maiden KFC Big Bash League title as captain and has since been retained by the club as their director of cricket.

In March, the 41-year-old said he wasn’t looking to take on a full-time coaching position due to the demands of international cricket but suggested he was keen to pursue short-term roles.

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"I’m already interested in it (coaching), definitely, but I’m not sure I’m keen to be in it in a full-time capacity because if you’re with an international team you’re pretty much on the road for 10 months a year and that’s certainly one of the reasons why I retired," Hussey said.

"It’s certainly not something that I’m in the short term looking to get back into on a full-time basis, but perhaps down in the future and certainly coming in as a consultant type and helping out for a few weeks here or there, is something that’s really interesting."

A Cricket Australia spokesperson last month said coaching options for the series were being assessed.

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"We are speaking to a number of people about the prospect of coaching the T20 international side during Sri Lanka Series due to Darren Lehmann and (assistant coach) David Saker being in India. At this stage no decision has been made."

Warne, who captain-coached the Rajasthan Royals for the maiden Indian Premier League title in 2008 and was brought in as a consultant for the T20 leg of Australia’s 2014 tour of South Africa, said last month he’d “happy to help” if asked to take on the role.

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Ponting too has tasted IPL glory as coach, leading the Mumbai Indians to the 2015 title and after the franchise recently opted not to renew his contract, the ex-Test skipper’s name has been floated as a contender.

And Gillespie, who stepped down as coach of Yorkshire following the conclusion of the 2016 English domestic season, indicated his interest in leading Australia for the T20s against Sri Lanka while also endorsing Ponting for the gig.

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“Now that I'm back in Australia full time after stepping down as First Team Coach at Yorkshire, I'm often asked what I plan to do,” the 41-year-old wrote in his column for cricket.com.au in November.

“The Australian T20 side will need an interim coach for the February series against Sri Lanka, and if I was asked it's definitely something I would think about.

“My great mate Ricky Ponting is in the mix for that and he would be a great coup for Cricket Australia if he got that job.”

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