Ryan Harris has been appointed as Australia’s bowling coach for the ODI series against South Africa later this month.
The 36-year-old had retired from the international cricket on the eve of last year’s Ashes series due to a recurring knee injury and will now join head coach Darren Lehmann and newly-installed assistant coach David Saker for the ODI tour, featuring five matches against South Africa and one against Ireland.
Harris had been overlooked for the role of full-time assistant coach when Craig McDermott stood down earlier this year. However, the former pacer expressed that he was looking forward to working with vastly experienced Saker for the forthcoming series.
“I would have loved to have done it, but for me I’ve still got a lot to learn before I take on a role such as that,” Harris was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “If I’m good enough, I’ll go as far as I want to go. If I’m not and I need to work on things, then I will. That’s the way I’ll approach it from now on.”
“(Saker is) a guy I look at as someone I can learn so much off and he’s had a lot of success,” he said. “He knows the game and he’s got some great ideas around the game. So to be able to spend time under him is going to be priceless for me to keep learning.”
Australia will head to South Africa with an inexperienced bowling line-up in the absence of bowling mainstays Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who have been rested.
{{/usCountry}}Australia will head to South Africa with an inexperienced bowling line-up in the absence of bowling mainstays Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who have been rested.
{{/usCountry}}They will play a one-off match against Ireland on September 27 before a five-match series against South Africa, which starts from September 30.