“No I don’t think there was a risk,” McDonald told SEN. “I think the way that they’re going to set-up, structure up, is clear. I think they’re going to go for a split coaching role. My views on that differ slightly.”
McDonald would not have taken the Australia job had it been split into two roles. His reasoning is that the consistency of messaging from one figurehead is vitally important despite the enormous workload that comes with coaching an international team.
“My belief is to still have that one coach and share the workload within that,” McDonald said. “I think for me the continuity of messaging is critical. But also the priorities shift. And people probably don’t like me saying this, but the priorities do shift at certain times. You can’t be everything to everyone.
“For example, Pat Cummins, on the back of three Test matches in Pakistan, at the end of that he’s severely fatigued and then the white-ball team gets compromised because Pat Cummins isn’t playing. But he’s not ready to perform in that environment.
“If you had split coaches, which format takes priority? So, I think the ability to have one selection panel, one coach to work through that, give the direction to what the priorities are at the time and managing the overall squad as such and then someone, potentially a Michael Di Venuto or another assistant coach, coming in to allow the head coach to balance the workload but still stick on the same path.
“For example, we’re going to build towards the 2023 World Cup, am I going to do every one-day game leading into that World Cup? There’s no chance of that. So I think that the continuity of messaging for me is important.”
England have tried to split the coaching roles previously in 2012 between Andy Flower (Tests) and Ashley Giles (ODIs and T20Is) with the push and pull between formats causing a lot of friction between the pair.
Test cricket remains the priority for Australia as they remain in the frame for the World Test Championship final next year while a T20 World Cup title defence at home this year will also mean McDonald is heavily involved in the T20I series ahead of that. But there is likely to be an ODI series against Zimbabwe in August/September where McDonald could rest as well as other ODI series over what is shaping as a hectic 18 months of cricket for Australia.