McGrath rules out replacing Cooley as Australia’s bowling coach

LONDON - Fast bowling legend Glenn McGrath has ruled out replacing Troy Cooley as Australia’s bowling coach, but is willing to help the bowlers on a casual basis as the national team is looking to bounce back from their Ashes disappointment.

Cooley will step down after the fifth Test against England in Sydney to take up a role at Australia’s Centre of Excellence. But McGrath, who took 563 wickets in 124 Tests for Australia, is in no mood to fill the void.

“Not at the moment. I’m always happy to give advice where I can but there’s been a lot happening in my life in the past 12 months especially and there’s plenty to keep me busy,” McGrath was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

“I guess I’ll chat to the boys a fair bit this Test match and see what I can do, but as for an official role, we’ll see what the future holds,” he said.

McGrath was also disappointed at Australia’s inability to snatch back the Ashes from England.

“Growing up as a kid in Australia playing cricket, the Ashes is always a big one. To play them here in Australia and to lose is pretty disappointing, but it amazes me how when Australia was so dominant, everyone saying it’s bad for world cricket, and now all of a sudden they’ve lost a few games and everyone’s calling for their heads.

“I think it’s a great time to be a young fella in Australian cricket. There’s plenty of opportunities. It goes in cycles. It wasn’t that long ago where the current Australian team won 13 in a row, so I’ve got total faith the boys will bounce back and we’ll get back to the top of the tree,” he said.