Jeff Vaughan appointed as Tasmania's coach, leaves job at CA

A day after Andrew McDonald was appointed as the head coach of the Australian men's Team, the assistant coach's position fell vacant. 

Jeff Vaughan has ended his stint with the national team, and he returns to be the full-time head coach of Tasmania. The former South Australian batter, Vaughan was a part of the coaching staff that had tasted success in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the Ashes, and the Test series in Pakistan.

The 48-year-old was appointed to assist ex-Australian coach Justin Langer just before the T20 World Cup, and was principally in charge of the fielding unit under Langer. 

Cricket Tasmania made this appointment public, with Vaughan returning to change Tasmania's fortunes in the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup tournaments. His return to the domestic structure implies that Andrew McDonald's coaching staff will have some new faces.

Cricket Australia is expected to appoint separate fielding and bowling coaches to divide the duties and avoid burnout.

The Sydney-born earned a name for himself as a batting coach under Adam Griffith at Tasmania. He was instrumental in Matthew Wade's revival and in shaping Ben McDermott as an all-format player as well.

In 2019, Tasmania introduced some structural changes as Griffith was given the responsibility of the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, and Vaughan took charge of Tasmania's state team in the domestic tournaments. Now, after a successful stint with the national team, he returns to the state setup.

The former South Australian cricketer expressed with a sense of satisfaction, "I feel very fortunate with how everything has worked out. I have been connected to the program throughout and am confident that I have continued to develop my coaching and leadership skill set to assist the development of the Tigers' program holistically and for the players as individuals."

He also thanked Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania for the opportunity to accept his move wholeheartedly.

"I'm incredibly grateful to Cricket Australia for the opportunity and to Cricket Tasmania for being so open-minded about my return, so I really can't wait to just get stuck in and am looking forward to maintaining the direction of the program for an extended period of time," Vaughan concluded.