Ponting joins Australia's coaching staff for England series

Melbourne [Australia], June 6 (ANI): Former skipper Ricky Ponting has joined the Australian support staff for the national side's upcoming tour to England, Cricket Australia has confirmed on Wednesday.

The 43-year-old, who had worked as assistant coach for Australia's T20I side twice before, will join head coach Justin Langer for the side's five ODIs and one-off T20I match against England.

Thrilled to have Ponting on board, Langer said described the former as one of the legends of the game and added that his experience and expertise would surely be invaluable for the boys.

"Ricky is one of the greats of the game, and since he was already in England doing some commentary, we saw it as a great opportunity to have him join our team for this important series," Langer said.

Langer further insisted that Ponting had already worked with many players present in the current squad and, therefore, his inclusion would be beneficial for the side as they prepare to rebuild themselves ahead of 2019 World Cup.

"We have played a lot of cricket together and coached alongside each other previously and he will also know many of the players already through his work with the team over the past two summers and his BBL commitments. Ricky's knowledge of the game is second-to-none and we know that his experiences, tactical expertise and leadership will be invaluable for this group, as we start to build a team capable of winning a World Cup in these conditions in a year's time," he added.

Ponting had earlier coached Australia's T20I team alongside Langer against Sri Lanka on home soil in 2017 before assisting Darren Lehmann for the T20I Tri-Series against England and New Zealand earlier this year.

The former Australian captain, who played in three ICC Cricket World Cup-winning sides in 1999, 2003 and 2007 - the last two as captain, has recently coached the Delhi Daredevils at the recently-concluded 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ponting will start on June 10 before Australia will head for the series against England, beginning June 13 at the Oval. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI