Cricket Australia (CA) has reportedly restored former Australian pace bowler Craig McDermott to his role as the team's Test bowling coach, with incumbent Ali de Winter now restricted to limited-overs cricket.
McDermott had reportedly held the role across all formats and oversaw the rise of Australia's current pace attack, including the likes of James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, before standing down for personal reasons after the summer of 2011-2012.
According to News.com.au, CA's general manager of team performance Pat Howard said that the board has been considering appointing coaches to specific roles for some time given the increasing workload, in order to get the best out of the players across the various formats.
Howard further said that CA feels that with the amount of touring now it is extremely difficult for every member of the support staff to be on every tour, adding that they have received positive feedback on their strategy of swapping support staff at particular moments to ensure that everyone is fresh and energized.
Stating that he is looking forward to helping his country regain the Ashes, McDermott, who played 71 Tests and 138 ODIs for Australia, said that he would work as hard as possible to prepare the Australian bowlers for the challenge ahead.
While some would view De Winter's new role as a demotion, head coach Darren Lehmann said that splitting the roles would allow both bowling coaches to focus on the specific skills required across the different formats.
