Michael Hussey likely to be appointed head coach of Australia's T20I team

Reports suggest that retired batting great Michael Hussey has become the front-runner to be appointed head coach of Australia’s T20I team on a temporary basis. Although Darren Lehmann has been in charge of all formats, an increasingly packed calendar would demand a caretaker to fill in for him early next year.

During February, a 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home is scheduled to clash with a grueling 4-Test tour to India. The third T20I at the Adelaide Oval is slated to be held on the 22^nd while the first Test against India will begin in Pune from the 23^rd. As a result, entirely different squads should be picked to represent Australia.

Although Test skipper Steven Smith also leads the Aussies in the limited-overs formats, the hectic schedule will see another captain appointed for the T20Is against Sri Lanka. Some of the other all-format regulars such as David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja and Josh Hazlewood should also not be available for the home white-ball series.

With the focus shifting to the Test tour, head coach Lehmann as well as assistant David Saker will be on the plane to India which should open up a few spots in the coaching unit too. Among the options touted to take the reins of what could be a very inexperienced squad are legendary skipper Ricky Ponting, spin king Shane Warne and erstwhile pacer Jason Gillespie.

While Warne has thrown his hat into the ring, Ponting recently chose not to extend his contract as head coach of Mumbai Indians and expressed interest in taking up the role of a selector or even a short-time coaching gig. On the other hand, Gillespie left Yorkshire county at the end of this season indicating a return to familiar shores.

However, Hussey could very well pip all of his former teammates as he has already worked with quite a few T20 sides. The southpaw was Australia’s batting consultant for the World T20 and had a similar stint with South Africa as well during their 3-match T20I series in India last year. The fact that the 41-year old is also Sydney Thunder’s Director of Cricket should bolster his impressive coaching resume in the shortest format.

Upon the completion of his stint with the Australian team at the World T20, Hussey had said, “I'm already interested in (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 (in January 2013).”

“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.”

Despite being a popular choice, Ponting’s other off-field commitments might come in the way of his appointment. As a result, Hussey could return to the Australian T20I camp but in a different capacity this time around.

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