The contract of Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has been extended through to the end of 2027, guaranteeing his availability when the team will be defending its ODI World Cup title that year and the next World Test Championship cycle. When McDonald took on the job in 2022, he signed a four-year deal which would end mid-2026, just after the next T20 World Cup. Then, he spoke about being a one-term coach because the job is a tad demanding, and indeed his predecessor Justin Langer too had served for just one term of four years, though he had wanted a larger term. Had McDonald departed the job mid-2026, he would have been leaving at a pretty hectic time. The Australians' men's team plays a busy calendar of cricket in 2027 with a four-Test home series against New Zealand that starts late 2026, five Tests in India early in 2027, a special one-off Test against England in March to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Test cricket, and a two-Test series with Bangladesh. They may also reach the final of WTC, followed by an Ashes tour and the next ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November. Extending tenure McDonald allows Cricket Australia to maintain stability while dealing with this busy period. McDonald has constructed a robust coaching team with Michael Di Venuto, Daniel Vettori, and Andre Borovec. He is also adding a national pace bowling coach. To manage the workload, McDonald's assistants have taken turns leading the team during different white-ball series. Recently, ODI and Test captain Pat Cummins said he was willing to stay longer in the job, giving him the room to stay with coach McDonald. Also Read | ICC Women's T20 World Cup Trophy Set for Nine-Day Tour in New Zealand McDonald said: "I am very fortunate to have an exceptional group of leaders, players, coaches and staff who are fully invested in the ongoing well-being, success and development of this group. The professionalism, commitment and experience of my fellow coaches and the wider staff have ensured the journey has been extremely successful but just as importantly created a culture of unity, trust and inclusivity. "International cricket has many challenges for all teams and I am particularly proud how the group, players and staff, across all formats have navigated those together." McDonald has guided the side to good victories since arriving after Langer's departure back in 2022 by winning the ODI World Cup in 2023 and a World Test Championship title. Now, McDonald gets the chance of making series wins for Australia that have been on the their list for many years over India and England. Australia is more concerned with qualifying for the WTC final next year at Lord's, and the India series has been crucial in their journey to defend the title. The Cricket Australia CEO, Nick Hockley, said: "Andrew has proven to be an outstanding men's head coach who as well as delivering exceptional results has built a strong coaching team, methodology and an excellent environment for the team to perform at its best. We are delighted to extend his tenure for a further two years."