Days after naming Brendon McCullum as the England Men’s Test team coach, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Wednesday, has announced the head coach of the white-ball format in the form of former Victorian Matthew Mott.
Mott joins the set-up after a successful seven-year stint as head coach of Australia Women. Under his watch, the Aussie women recently claimed the ODI World Cup in New Zealand before winning back-to-back T20 World Cups and four consecutive Ashes series.
Before taking up his post as Australia Women’s Coach in 2015, Mott had worked as head coach of New South Wales and led them to victory in the Champions League T20 tournament in 2009. He then coached Glamorgan, leading them to the final of the Yorkshire Bank 40 in 2013.
No wonder Mott’s incredible credentials impressed the selection panel comprising the ECB’s outgoing CEO Tom Harrison, the managing director Rob Key, strategic adviser Andrew Strauss and performance director Mo Bobat, who all unanimously agreed to appoint Mott as the new white-ball coach.
Notably, England’s next major tournament is the forthcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in Australia later this year. Sharing his excitement about being given a huge role, Mott, in an official statement, said, “I am delighted to accept the opportunity to take this white-ball role with England. Whilst I am Australian, I have deep connections, and several of my closest friends are in the UK, having spent considerable time in Scotland, Wales and England, both as a player and coach.”
“When this role became available, I was attracted by the chance to work with such an established and successful team under the astute leadership of Eoin Morgan and now Rob Key, whom I have always admired as an excellent cricket mind. The idea of the split roles and the chance to work alongside Brendon McCullum in his red-ball role is an opportunity that I am incredibly enthusiastic about and certainly provides the right balance for my family as we embark on this exciting journey,” he added.
