'It's quite sad to see him go' - Ashleigh Gardener on head coach Matthew Mott's departure

Australian batting all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has admitted that it will be 'pretty weird' for her and the entire team when they get together for their next assignment in the absence of Matthew Mott.

Mott coached the Australian women's team to unprecedented success over the course of the last five years, including two T20 World Cup titles, a 50-over title and the Ashes, and was recently appointed the head coach of England's men's white-ball teams.

On a day when the Australian squad for the upcoming Commonwealth Games were announced, Gardener reflected on the bond and friendships that the playing group had built with Mott.

"I know over the last five years that I've been involved in the team we've built a really good friendship and relationship so from a personal perspective it's quite sad to see him go. It will be pretty weird him not being there," she said as quoted by Cricinfo.

"Albeit being a fantastic batting coach, it was just his personality around a group like ours [which] was something that we needed. Especially as female athletes, we can get caught up in minor details sometimes and he was someone who always brought things back into perspective and put a funny spin on things," she added.

Mott made it a point to contact every member of the playing group to inform them about his latest career move.

Gardener, who missed the initial call, later read the message from his former coach and admitted it was 'weird' to read that.

"It was kind of weird to read that. I knew how much this group meant to him and how hard that would have been to make that decision," she said.

Mott recently opened up about his decision, stating that while it was a tough one, it's the best time for him to move on and let others take charge of the team.

"My time with the Australian team was always getting close. Been there seven years and it was only fair to look to move forward and give someone a new voice," Mott told SEN.

Mott had earlier applied for the Australian men's coaching role, which ultimately went to Andrew McDonald.

As far as the Australian women's team, Shelly Nitschke has been named as the interim head coach for the upcoming series against Ireland and Birmingham 2022.