Nitschke, Noffke join Australia women's support staff as assistant coaches

Australia have added two former allrounders - Shelley Nitschke and Ashley Noffke - as assistant coaches to their support staff, headed by Matthew Mott, as part of preparations for the next two World T20s. Both Noffke and Nitschke were also part of the support staff during the recent India tour.

Nitschke will also support former team-mate Leah Poulton to develop the next generation of players in the Women's National Performance Squad, while Noffke will assist on all domestic and international tours, as well as high performance camps.

"I'm delighted to have Shelley and Ashley join the coaching group for the next two years. They both bring extensive playing experience to the group, which will be invaluable," Mott said. "I'm looking forward to seeing them build on the strong foundation that (former assistants) Joe Dawes and Tim Coyle have laid.

"Shelley has an impressive coaching resume and had a really positive impact on the group during the tour to India. She knows the women's game inside out and is a great asset for our programs."

Nitschke has been in various coaching roles with South Australia, Cricket Australia and the Adelaide Strikers, whom she also played for, when she came out of retirement in the inaugural WBBL season. She is expected to continue as the Strikers assistant coach in the next WBBL season.

During her playing career for Australia women from 2005 to 2011, Nitschke picked 153 wickets across formats with her left-arm spin and scored 3118 runs, including an ODI hundred, in 115 international innings. She was ranked the No. 1 allrounder and bowler when she retired in 2011, and had been named the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2010.

Noffke represented Australia in a solitary ODI in 2008 and two T20Is, and retired from first-class cricket in the 2010-11 season. He later joined the Queensland support staff as a bowling coach.

Australia recently completed a successful tour of India where they whitewashed the hosts 3-0 in the ODIs, before winning a T20 tri-series that also featured England.