Australia have appointed Graeme Hick as their new batting coach ahead of their ODI tour of South Africa. 

Zimbabwean-born Graeme Hick was selected as Australia’s specialist batting coach for the the upcoming series against South Africa .

Hick played 65 Tests and 120 ODIs for England and was first appointed as Cricket Australia’s high performance coach in 2013.

Head coach Darren Lehmann was full of praise regarding Hick’s abilities.

‘Graeme worked with us during the recent ODI tour in the West Indies and we were really impressed with what he brought to the group.

‘He is a very experienced player in all conditions and will bring a wealth of knowledge with him.

‘With an ICC Champions Trophy, an Ashes Series and an ICC World Cup all to be played in England in the near future, his knowledge of those conditions will also be invaluable.’

The 1987 Wisden Cricketer of the Year acted as assistant coach on the recent West Indies tour while Lehmann took some time off.

‘I have thoroughly enjoyed my current role with Cricket Australia and have worked with some great young up-and-coming players during my time,’ he said.

‘To take the next step up with the men’s team and getting the opportunity to work with some of the best players in the world is something I am really looking forward to.’

Hick was appointed as batting coach till 2020 while Greg Blewett will return to his job as fielding coach after filling in as batting coach.

Australia will play five ODIs against South Africa starting from September 30.

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