Australia assistant coach Andrew McDonald to miss England tour for IPL

Australia’s senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald will not travel with the squad to England owing to his Indian Premier League (IPL) contract with the Rajasthan Royals. Andrew McDonald was appointed head coach of the Rajasthan outfit ahead of the auctions last December for a period of three years.

The Australian team will travel to England to play three ODIs and as many T20Is, which will run from September 4-16. The IPL, on the other hand, will commence from September 19. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals are tipped to be among the first teams to travel to the UAE, most probably on August 20.

"When Andrew came onboard that was part of our agreement with him that he would be able to continue as head coach of the Rajasthan Royals - and we're really comfortable with that," Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia head of national teams, said.

Oliver reasoned that the “valuable experience” will help not only McDonald improve as a coach but the players will also gain something out of it, especially with two of the next three white-ball World Cups scheduled in India.

12 of the 21 Aussie players set to tour England have IPL commitments

Andrew McDonald has been appointed head of Rajasthan Royals for a period of three years. Credits: DNA India

McDonald aside, 12 of the 21 Australian players, including captain Aaron Finch and vice-captain Pat Cummins, have IPL commitments. Players from the English dressing room too will find themselves in a similar situation.

Alhough the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is yet to announce their squad, captain Eoin Morgan has been picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 5.25 crore in the IPL 2020 auction.

However, with the quarantine rules in the UAE unlikely to be relaxed, the players are set to miss the early matches of the IPL. They will be allowed to enter their respective team’s bio-secure bubble only after self-isolating in the UAE for six days, while undergoing three tests. Everyone in the bubble will further be tested every fifth day.

The Rajasthan Royals head coach’s availability, however, comes as a huge relief for the Jaipur-based franchise after their fielding coach Dishant Yagnik tested positive two days back. As per BCCI protocol, Yagnik will have to complete his 14-day quarantine and then test negative in two tests, before he can fly to the UAE.