Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has had his contract extended until the end of 2027 meaning he will guide the team's defence of their ODI World Cup title that year as well as throughout next cycle of the World Test Championship.
When McDonald was initially appointed in 2022 it was on a four-year deal which took him to midway through 2026. That would have seen him finish after the next T20 World Cup. He had stated that he was likely to be a one-term coach citing the demanding nature of the job and the fact that Justin Langer had only served one four-year term, despite Langer wanting an extension back in 2022.
However, if McDonald had walked away in mid-2026, a new coach would have come in at an awkward time. Australia's 2027 schedule looks like one of the heaviest calendar years the men's team will have ever had. They host four Tests with New Zealand in December and January of 2026-27 before playing five Tests in India in January and February. Then they return home for a one-off Test against England in March to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Test cricket, with a two-Test home series against Bangladesh also scheduled but likely to be moved.
There will then be a WTC final, if they qualify, followed by a five-Test Ashes tour. The next ODI World Cup then takes place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia during October and November 2027.
Keeping McDonald in place for that period means CA has some stability to plan for the extensive schedule. McDonald has an established coaching group around him, including Michael Di Venuto, Daniel Vettori and Andre Borovec, and will add a national pace bowling coach soon. McDonald's three assistants have each coached the team for different white-ball series in the last two years in order to share the load. McDonald is hopeful those three assistants will get contract extensions until 2027 as well.
"Those people are incredibly important to the team and myself," McDonald said. "So the idea would be to continue to surround myself with those people, and I think they've got an appetite to continue on. So I'm hoping that news will hopefully follow this news and they'll be on the journey long term."
Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has recently suggested he would be open to remaining in his role for longer than may have first been planned, meaning he and McDonald could continue to work together until 2027 having developed a very close working relationship over the past three years.
"I am very fortunate to have an exceptional group of leaders, players, coaches and staff who are fully invested in the ongoing well-being, success and development of this group," McDonald said. "The professionalism, commitment and experience of my fellow coaches and the wider staff have ensured the journey has been extremely successful but just as importantly created a culture of unity, trust and inclusivity.
"International cricket has many challenges for all teams and I am particularly proud how the group, players and staff, across all formats have navigated those together."
McDonald took over in the head coach role after the ugly departure of Langer in early 2022 and has guided the men's team to significant success including the 2023 ODI World Cup and World Test Championship titles. The extension means he will have the opportunity for Test series wins in India and England which have recently eluded the side.
Australia are currently in a race to qualify for next year's WTC final at Lord's in a bid to defend that title with the upcoming India series vital to their prospects.
Nick Hockley, the Cricket Australia CEO, said: "Andrew has proven to be an outstanding men's head coach who as well as delivering exceptional results has built a strong coaching team, methodology and an excellent environment for the team to perform at its best. We are delighted to extend his tenure for a further two years."