England appoint Mott as men’s white-ball coach

LONDON: England on Wednesday named the “outstanding” Matthew Mott as head coach of their men’s white-ball team following his succesful stint in charge of the Australian women’s team.

Mott, 48, won Twenty20 world cups in 2018 and 2020 and the 50-over equivalent earlier this year during his seven-year stint with the Australian national side.

He also guided the team to a record 26 successive one-day international wins and victory over England in the recent multi-format Ashes series.

Mott, who has previously worked in the English county game with Glamorgan, takes over an England men’s side who are the reigning 50-over world champions and currently second in the one-day international and T20 rankings.

England’s new managing director Rob Key said the Australian’s mentality dovetailed with that of World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan.

“What he has been able to do with them (Australia’s women’s team) I don’t think should be underestimated,” said Key, who was appointed as part of a management revamp following England’s embarrassing 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.

“He has made the gap greater between (Australia and) the rest of the pack in the women’s game.”

England now have separate head coaches in red and white-ball cricket for the first time since 2014, with former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum announced last week as their Test match chief.

Mott is expected to begin his England reign with three one-day internationals away to the Netherlands next month.

“It was always going to take something special to leave the role that I have loved for the past seven years with the Australian women’s team,” Mott said in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement.

“However, I genuinely believe that the time is right to play a role in helping the England men’s ODI and T20 group continue to evolve as one of the best teams in the world.

“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.”