Hussey, Harris latest legends to join Aussie staff

Mike Hussey and Ryan Harris will join the Australian team's backroom staff for their Twenty20 internationals that open the men's international summer next week.

Hussey's appointment follows in the footsteps of the mentoring roles played by Ricky Ponting at the ODI World Cup and Steve Waugh in the Ashes Test series earlier this year.

Harris will step up from his usual role as a high performance coach at the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane to be the side's bowling coach.

Australia are due to play back-to-back three-game Gillette T20 International series against Sri Lanka and then Pakistan starting next Sunday (October 27) as the first steps towards next October's men's T20 World Cup, the only global cricket tournament Australia have yet to win.

"I'm very excited actually. I'm really looking forward to getting back in around the Aussie team," Hussey told News Corp.

"They are going to be trying to get strategies in place, develop a style of play and what players they want and I love all that stuff — planning for a big event.

"They have floated the possibility of being involved closer to the T20 World Cup as well but it's all pretty loose at the moment."

Langer has long been a fan of having past players closely involved in the national team, a trend that shows no sign of slowing down as he draws on the glory days of Australian cricket.

"I can't tell you how influential these guys can be on the group. It's about building our leadership, about honing their skills as cricketers, and they can just complement the other guys who are full-time coaches," Langer said.

"It's nice to have different voices and different eyes and see guys of that calibre giving us feedback on what they see."

Known as 'Mr Cricket' Hussey signalled his liking for the shortest format in the first-ever T20 International, coming to the crease late in the Australian innings and promptly blasting three sixes in an unbeaten 31 from 18 balls in a laid-back affair where players wore retro kits and outlandish hairstyles.

Over the next 11 years, on all surfaces and against all types of bowling, he barely let up, plundering almost 5,000 runs and establishing himself as one of T20 cricket's most versatile batsmen.

Hussey was one of the few batsmen who was equally at home nudging ones and twos as he was biffing the ball over the rope, and he shone in the Indian Premier League as the leading run-scorer in the 2013 tournament.

In the KFC Big Bash League, his move west to the Sydney Thunder began a revolution for the men in lime green that culminated in a BBL|05 title triumph of which Hussey was the architect.

His greatest T20 performance in Australian gold was undoubtedly his staggering 60no from 24 balls in the 2010 World T20 semi-final against Pakistan.

With Australia needing 47 from the final 17 balls, Hussey switched gears and put on a breathtaking display of T20 batting, getting his team home with a ball to spare and into their first (and still only) T20 World Cup final.

Langer's backroom staff has been in a state of flux with David Saker vacating the bowling coach role earlier this year while Brad Haddin has also moved on from the fielding coach role he held.

Tasmania coach Adam Griffith, a former assistant with Langer at Western Australia, filled the bowling role during the World Cup before Troy Cooley held the post during the Ashes tour.

Ottis Gibson, the former West Indies fast bowler who has previously held coaching roles with the Caribbean team, England and South Africa, has been linked to the national team as a potential full-time fixture in the bowling coach vacancy.

CA is also searching for a new selector to replace the recently retired Greg Chappell, with that person expected to have a heavy T20 focus with next year's World Cup looming large with Michael Klinger linked to the vacancy.

Gillette T20 Internationals v Sri Lanka

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

First T20: October 27, Adelaide Oval, 2pm (Fox & Kayo)

Second T20: October 30, Gabba, 6.10pm (Fox & Kayo)

Third T20: November 1, MCG, 7.10pm (Fox & Kayo)

Gillette T20 Internationals v Pakistan

First T20: November 3, SCG, 2.30pm (Fox & Kayo)

Second T20: November 5, Manuka Oval, 7.10pm (Fox & Kayo)

Third T20: November 8, Perth Stadium, 4.30pm (Fox & Kayo)