One of Australia’s most successful skippers of Australia, Ricky Ponting will be joining Australia’s coaching staff and will work alongside head coach, Justin Langer, for the upcoming 2019 World Cup, which will be hosted in England and Wales. Announcing the appointment, Cricket Australia said that batting coach Graeme Hick will only focus on the Ashes tour, which starts after the World Cup.

The appointment of the triple World Cup winner, Ponting, comes as a strategy to field a number of staffs for just the showpiece event. Australia has been suffering from poor form since the suspension of the veteran duo of Steve Smith and David Warner, and Ponting’s appointment comes as a welcome sign to revive Australian cricket.

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Talking about the same, interim Team Performance Executive General Manager Belinda Clark said, “This appointment also provides an opportunity for Graeme Hick to focus on preparation for the Ashes. With two major events back to back we believe it is important to focus on the amount of staff specifically on one event. The appointment of Ricky is a part of this overall strategy.”

Whereas Langer said Ricky knows what is required to win World Cups and will be a valuable member around the squad. Australia gear up to defend the title in England and Wales after having lifted the coveted trophy in 2015, having defeated New Zealand in the final.

Langer said, “Ricky knows what’s required to win World Cups, and I know he will be a valuable mentor to not just the batting group, but the broader squad as we focus our attention on defending our World Cup title.”

Meanwhile, after suffering a crushing defeat in the Test and ODI series against India, Aussies defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 in a two-match Test series. Now, the Kangaroos will shift their focus towards India, against whom they play two T20Is and a five-match ODI series, before beginning their final preparations for the World Cup.