Worcestershire CCC legend Graeme Hick will help coach a Cricket Australia X1 against England in a four-day match ahead of the Ashes next month.
Hick is now Australia’s lead batting coach and he and bowling coach Troy Cooley – who held the same role previously for England – will be in charge for the match from November 15-18 in the Queensland city of Townsville.
New Road batting giant Hick played 65 Tests for England and next year will mark a decade since he retired from playing for Worcestershire after 25 memorable seasons.
In a similar move, ex Aussie paceman Ryan Harris will coach the Cricket Australia X1 in another four-day game in Adelaide from November 8-11.
Then, in between the second and third Tests, Australia’s spin bowling coach John Davison will be in charge when a Cricket Australia X1 face the tourists in Perth on December 9-10.
Chris Rogers, the former Aussie Test opener, will be assisting Harris and Davison.
Cricket Australia’s team performance manager Pat Howard said: “These matches will see Australia’s talented young players testing themselves against a world-class opponent in England, surrounded by coaches who have worked at the national level.
“It’s an exciting opportunity not just for the players, but also a great development tool for the coaches to extend their head coaching skills.
“For Ryan, Graeme and John – working in tandem with Chris and Troy – this is the chance to manage a new group of players, and to give them the confidence and belief to perform to the best of their abilities and challenge our Ashes opponents.”
