'The best': Players sing praises of Aus A coach Luke Williams

If character references provided the principal selection criterion for cricket coaching roles, then Luke Williams could surely walk into any job in Australia or beyond. 

The architect of Adelaide Strikers title success in WBBL|08 and back-to-back WNCL grand final appearances by South Australia Scorpions has been appointed to lead an Australia A squad to England for a multi-format series that runs alongside the upcoming women's Ashes. 

Williams' appointment comes as no surprise to those who have worked with him during his five-year tenure at the helm of South Australia's women's program, with his reputation cited as a significant factor in the state's ability to recruit established and emerging players from interstate. 

One of those is reigning WNCL Player of the Year Courtney Webb, who first encountered the former first-class opener in 2018 when he was assistant coach on an Australia under-19s tour to South Africa with a squad that included future internationals Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham. 

Webb says her wish to continue working with Williams after that initial interaction was a key factor in her leaving Tasmania for Adelaide in 2020, and the faith he showed by installing her at number four in the Scorpions' batting order was pivotal to the form rise that's earned her a place in the Australia A squad. 

"He's the best coach you could ask for in terms of a female program," Webb told cricket.com.au earlier this year. 

"His understanding of emotions and emotional intelligence, as well as cricket knowledge and support he provides is unbelievable. 

"The best decision I've ever made, hands down, is to come and play for South Australia." 

A similar story is recounted by 20-year-old fast bowler Kate Peterson - also chosen for her maiden senior international tour with Australia A - who two years ago was torn between leaving home in Sydney and a contract with New South Wales Breakers, or a two-year deal with the Scorpions. 

Williams met then then-18-year-old at Adelaide Airport when she flew down for a reconnaissance visit prior to deciding her future and, after he showed her SA's facilities and introduced her to future teammates, Peterson opted to pack up and relocate. 

"He's been awesome, one of the best coaches I've ever had," Peterson said this week. 

"He cares about you so much as a cricketer, but also as a person. 

"Luke's got such a good cricket brain, and is really easy to approach. 

"He's been probably the biggest influence in me wanting to stay here in Adelaide long-term." 

But perhaps the most effusive and heartfelt assessment of the man who ditched a full-time job in the insurance industry to pursue his dream of a post-playing career in cricket comes from Australia swing bowler Megan Schutt who has worked in lock-step with him since 2017. 

That was the year Williams - who played the last of his five first-class games for SA in 2005, having been dismissed by Shane Warne in his farewell appearance – was appointed assistant coach at the Strikers after progressing from Premier Cricket level to being in charge of SA's under-15 and under-17 male programs.

Schutt's bond with Williams grew stronger in 2018 when he replaced current Australia women's coach Shelley Nitschke as assistant with the Scorpions, before he took over from local legend Andrea McCauley at the helm of SA's WNCL and WBBL outfits the following year. 

Schutt admits she finds herself walking a tightrope when talking about Williams' influence and coaching credentials, laughing she could "go on forever" about his attributes but also "hugely fearful" that if his worth becomes more widely appreciated, he might be lost to SA cricket. 

"I can't speak highly enough of him," she told cricket.com.au ahead of an upcoming training camp in Brisbane where the Australia and Australia A women's squads will fine tune preparations for their England tour. 

"He's been a big part of my life for a very long time, and I think one thing that makes him a great coach is his personality and the way he's a real people person.

"He genuinely cares, he has so much empathy and understanding of a player's mindset - I guess that comes from being an ex-player himself – but he takes time individually to get to know everyone, which helps us mould a team. 

"We've had a really successful last few years under him, both the Scorps and in Big Bash, and a lot of that credit goes to Luke. 

"He's also someone I go to for personal reasons, not just cricket. 

"He's someone I pick up the phone to, we chat a helluva lot especially when I'm away on tour, he's always checking in and always talking about the team and I think it's his genuine sense of care. 

"He obviously has formidable cricket knowledge, he's a wonderful ex-player as he likes to remind you, but those other factors are what truly make him a good coach." 

Schutt's observation about Williams' preparedness to flout his own playing credentials was made with tongue firmly in cheek, as becomes clear when the subject of on-field exploits is raised with the man himself. 

Despite being part of a select four-man group to have claimed three Bradman Medals as SA Premier Cricket's player of the year (the others are John Lill, Robert O'Shannassy and Jake Brown), Williams self-effacingly describes his time at the top level as "fleeting". 

But he acknowledges the experiences he gleaned in Adelaide and at Tasmania where he spent the 2002-03 season without playing a first-class game, helped shape the philosophies he brings to coaching. 

"I think it's natural to share a closer bond with the coaches you felt cared, not just about you as a player and even not just the technical side of the game, but also how you thought and the mindset you took into games - the highs and lows of your confidence," Williams told cricket.com.au. 

"So I guess the wholistic approach was something I really appreciated when I was a player, and it's something I believe strongly in. 

"You work so closely with the players and the group, it's natural that you care a lot. 

"And generally, when people are happy and content in a lot of different aspects of their life as well as their cricket, it gives them the best opportunity to perform consistently. 

"It's probably not something that's been deliberate, but I think it has been a key part of my coaching. 

"Confidence and a really even mentality are so important in cricket.

"I found that with the Strikers and the Scorpions, if we're winning games we're still really diligent with learning from those matches. 

"Then, if we have a game where we didn't play as well as we wanted, we learn from it but we don't over-think it. 

"Consistency in mindset and approach is something I believe really strongly in, and something I try to implement in the teams I'm involved with." 

The mantra to learn from setbacks but not dwell too deeply upon them was sorely tested last summer in the immediate aftermath of the Scorpions one-run defeat to Tasmania in a rain-affected WNCL grand final. 

The loss of five wickets in a calamitous final over when just four runs stood between SA and victory meant Tasmania snatched the title in barely believable circumstances, but Williams believes his young group will be galvanised rather than traumatised by the bitter memory. 

"It certainly was an experience, and it's how you come out of experiences that's going to be really interesting," he said. 

"It can be either one way or the other, and I think we're really strong that we're not going to be defined by it. 

"We had a chat about it in the weeks after the game, but it's certainly something we all reflect on at different times. 

"We're looking forward to getting the next season started and hopefully winning enough games that we get the chance to play in another final, and hopefully go one step better. 

"The disappointment still burns strongly." 

As for expectations and aspirations on the upcoming A tour, Williams recognises that - while on-field success is a goal - the chance to expose the group to foreign playing conditions, Dukes-brand ball, training and travel alongside the all-conquering Australia women's team, and stern opposition is equally vital. 

An opportunity acquaint themselves with the Dukes ball, renowned for its propensity to swing in England's often overcast and humid summer, presents perhaps the steepest learning curve given red-ball cricket is virtually non-existent in the Australia senior women's system. 

And there could be no tougher on-field rival for the A squad, which includes four Australia-capped members (Lauren Cheatle, Heather Graham, Tayla Vlaeminck and Amanda-Jade Wellington), than England's first XI who they face in a three-day warm-up match ahead of three T20Is and three ODIs against England A. 

"It will be a great learning experience," Williams said. 

"We obviously want to perform strongly on the field, but I think it's really about preparing a group of players to take their game to the next level, to experience overseas conditions if they haven't done that a lot before. 

"To have a warm-up game against the England side will be a great opportunity. 

"We're fortunate with our domestic system here that, over the years, a lot of those (A-team) players have performed really strongly in domestic cricket and in the WBBL, plus we've seen a lot of the world's leading overseas in WBBL in the past so that means they've also been able to play against them. 

"It's also fortunate that it's mirroring the Australian women's side and their England tour, so they get to spend a camp in Brisbane around the Australian girls as well as some time with them over there. 

"That's a really exciting opportunity for the whole Aus A program, to be involved at a time when the Australian team is competing for the Ashes." 

Unlike many of the A-team players under his guidance as well as assistant coaches Erin Osborne and Gavan Twining, Williams has some experience of playing and coaching in English conditions. 

He was a member of the Australia under-19 team that toured the UK in 1999, a group that included future Test players Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson and Adam Voges as well as current Australia high performance boss, Ben Oliver. 

While he dismisses his involvement in that campaign as incidental alongside the soon-to-be big names, Williams finished the tour of three one-day games and three 'youth Tests' against England atop Australia's batting aggregate and averages with his 337 (at 42.1) the benchmark for both teams. 

His more recent exposure to cricket in the UK came through last summer's secondment as assistant coach to Charlotte Edwards (formerly Williams' deputy at the Strikers) with Southern Brave in The Hundred, a role he's looking to reprise when that competition resumes in August. 

It was during his stint in the previous northern summer that Williams crossed paths with former Australia women's head coach Matthew Mott (now in charge of England's dominant men's white-ball outfit) and shared notes on their respective journeys. 

Williams doesn't hide his aspirations to eventually follow Mott's path into international coaching, but quickly adds he's "really happy" with his dual jobs at Strikers and Scorpions and is in no rush to take the next step in that direction. 

Even though his wife Annalisa was born in England, the fact the couple's daughter Zara (aged 11) and son Isaac (eight) are settled at school in Adelaide means the demands of full-time international coaching - either in Australia or overseas - might be problematic in the near-term. 

But having found frustration in his early ambitions to become an Australia player, Williams is keen to learn how far the coaching caper he embarked upon with Port Adelaide men's Premier Cricket team in 2011 can take him. 

"It's the same as playing, you always want to progress to the highest level that you're capable of being involved in," he said. 

"I'm really passionate about South Australian cricket, but also Australian cricket so if opportunities come up, I'd love to explore that. 

"I'm definitely open to other coaching opportunities. 

"It's probably not something for now, I'm really invested in what I'm doing at the moment but as for what the medium or longer-term future holds, I'm really passionate about coaching and I'm not defined by any particular role at this stage." 

That news comes as no surprise to Schutt who says she "selfishly" hopes any career advancement that takes Williams away from his SA position comes after she's called time on her trophy-laden playing days. 

Or, if a move comes before then, it's to the Australia women's team while she's still bamboozling rival batters with her prodigious swing and canny variations. 

"You lose the good ones, that's how it is in the natural progression," Schutt said of her Strikers and Scorpions coach. 

"I'm just absolutely bloody stoked for him getting the Aus A role. 

"It's been long time coming and I'd love to see him be an assistant and then – though it will probably be past my time - a head coach for Australia. 

"I can definitely see him in those colours, and as much as it would suck for this team to lose him at SACA, he's absolutely got what it takes to be at that level. 

"I can see higher honours for him in future and hopefully he's around while I'm still playing but if not, I'll give him a great reference."