Harris eager to build coaching experience

Former Australia quick Ryan Harris is one of the names floating around as Cricket Australia look to fill the vacant bowling coach position.

Craig McDermott left the post earlier this year. Reports linked Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie with the role, but he has firmly denied that he will take up the position indicating he is happy with his position with the English county.

Adam Griffith is currently the interim bowling coach for the triangular series in the West Indies and former South Africa paceman Allan Donald has been hired as a consultant for the tour of Sri Lanka.

Harris, who retired from international cricket last year, has confirmed that he would be interested in the job if it was offered to him, telling cricket.com.au: “I said when the news broke about Craig (McDermott), if Darren (Lehmann) and the staff of Cricket Australia reckon I was ready tomorrow I’d have a crack at it.”

The former paceman doesn't belive he is qualified for the job though: “I probably wouldn’t be suited for it, but I’d like to get that experience."

Harris, who only recently retired, is looking to build the skill set required to take on coaching jobs: “For me at the moment, it’s learning the art of coaching,”

“If I was to go on a tour as a bowling coach at the moment, I think I could handle that pretty well because I know what goes on."

“On tour it’s a lot about just fine tuning guys and getting to know characters."

“I think I could do that, but it’s the other stuff away from that – the writing the reports and not just looking at bowlers and seeing how the ball comes out but breaking down an action and trying to help a young guy who’s counter-rotating or who’s got a problem with injury."

“You’ve got to be the man to fix that, or contribute to fixing that."

Despite his inexperience Harris has confessed that a job in the Australian set-up is his goal, even if he doesn't believe he is ready just yet and couldn't set any sort of timeline for achieving the goal: “Whether it takes a month or six months or four years, that’s something that I’m going to have to wait and see."

“For me at the moment it’s just learning the art of bowling, communicating, and what it takes and what it means to become a coach."

Mitchell Starc, who played with Harris, offered a glowing endorsement of his former teammate: “The little work with him I've done outside his playing days, he's got a great cricket mind and he's great to talk to about different tactics and things."

“There's no reason why he wouldn't make a good bowling coach."

“Obviously we'll find out in the next few months who our new full-time bowling coach will be and I'm sure he'll be up there in the candidates.”

Australia are currently taking on the West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean, after which they will head to Sri Lanka for a bilateral tour.

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