Australian cricketer Elysse Perry (3R) is sorrounded by teammates as they celebrate the wicket of unseen West Indies cricketer Stafanie Taylor during the final match of the ICC Women's World Cup 2013 between Australia and West Indies at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne stadium in Mumbai on February 17, 2013. AFP PHOTO/Indranil MUKHERJEE (Photo credit should read INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images)
The Australian women's team has locked in their next coach, with Shelley Nitschke set to take the top job.
Nitschke, who retired from her playing career in 2011, has been the interim coach of the team since May this year, taking over from Matthew Mott.
The 45-year-old enjoyed a stellar playing career prior to her coaching days, winning four Belinda Clark awards across her time in the game.
Nitschke is set to continue in her role as coach of the Perth Scorchers for the upcoming WBBL|08 season, stepping down at the conclusion to fulfil her duties as coach of the international team.
Cricket Australia's high performance manager, Ben Oliver, said Nitschke was a "standout" candidate throughout the recruitment process following her work as interim coach.
"Shelley did an outstanding job in an interim capacity during the Commonwealth Games and was the clear standout candidate in the recruitment process," Oliver said.
"Shelley is an incredibly well-respected coach with a proven track record. She knows what it takes to be successful at an international level and brings significant coaching and playing experience to the role.
"She’s been a great mentor for the spin group since joining as an assistant in 2018, helping develop them into some of the world’s leading bowlers, and we look forward to seeing what the team can achieve with Shelley at the helm.
"We have begun recruitment for the vacant assistant coaching roles and look forward to Shelley’s input in that process."
The Australians are set to tour India in December for a five-game T20 series, before returning home to face Pakistan in January.