McDermott to depart as assistant coach

Cricket Australia has announced assistant coach Craig McDermott will leave his post following this month's ICC World T20 tournament.

McDermott, the former Test quick who began his second coaching stint with Australia in 2013, will return home to focus on his cricket academy, which has bases throughout Queensland and New South Wales.

McDermott's exit follows that of batting coach Michael Di Venuto, who was announced as head coach of English county side Surrey last month.

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“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time working for Cricket Australia, starting at what was then the Centre of Excellence many years ago, then working with the Australian men’s team.

“It’s been a thrill to have been able to help the players reach their potential, and to see them achieve such feats as the 5-0 Ashes win at home, defeating South Africa in South Africa and winning last year’s World Cup. I’d love nothing more than to finish this stint with victory in the World T20 in India.

“Looking ahead I’ve decided that the time is right to really focus on my academy business which is continuing to grow as well as pursuing some other business opportunities I have away from the game. And if time presents, I’ll also look at some coaching consultancy work in various competitions around the world.

“I will certainly miss the Australian team, and wish the players and coaches every success in the future.”

McDermott was first named Australia's bowling coach in May 2011, a position he relinquished after 12 months due to the heavy touring schedule. He was brought back into the fold in October 2013, just a few months after Darren Lehmann was named head coach.

The 50-year-old signed a two-year deal in May 2014 that saw his role expand beyond just the Test team and last year he began discussions with CA about a new contract, expressing his desire to continue in the role.

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"I am keen to keep going," he said in October. "I really enjoy the job. I am very keen to do another tenure. I have made them well aware that I am keen to keep going along."

McDermott has been at the helm for some significant fast-bowling achievements over the past five years, notably the 4-0 series win at home against India during his first stint in 2011-12 and the victories over England and South Africa in the summer of 2013-14.

He was also involved in the successful World Cup campaign as well as the losing Ashes series in England last year.

The likes of Peter Siddle and James Pattinson have repeatedly credited McDermott for their development at international level, while allrounder Mitchell Marsh also praised the bowling coach during the series against the West Indies last summer.

The performance of Australia's quicks against India in 2011-12 is considered one of McDermott's greatest achievements, with the tourists dismissed for less than 200 four times and scoring more than 300 just once in eight innings.

A veteran of 71 Tests and 291 Test wickets, McDermott advocated bowling a fuller length and also advised his charges to "be prepared to be boring" in order to tie down batsmen with accuracy and dismiss them with swing.