Australia appoint Rixon as fielding coach

Australia's off-season coaching appointments have been completed with Steve Rixon, the former wicketkeeper, named as the new fielding coach. Rixon joins the new bowling coach Craig McDermott and the assistant Justin Langer as the panel that will help the head coach Tim Nielsen as Australia aim to climb their way back up the Test rankings.

Rixon, 57, has replaced Mike Young, the former baseballer who spent the best part of a decade working with the Australia team. A gloveman who played 13 Tests and six one-day internationals for Australia, Rixon has also had a lengthy coaching career, in charge of New South Wales and New Zealand during the 1990s before a second stint with New South Wales; in total he steered the Blues to four Sheffield Shield titles.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing for Rixon, though, and a two-year appointment with Surrey ended unsuccessfully. He also joined the now-defunct Indian Cricket League, before finding a job as an assistant to Stephen Fleming with the two-time champions the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, and he helped them win the Champions League in 2010.

Wade Seccombe, the former Queensland wicketkeeper, appeared to have the front-running to become Australia's new fielding coach after he joined the squad on the tour of Bangladesh in April. However, Cricket Australia's acting CEO Michael Brown said Rixon would be a valuable addition to the coaching staff.

"We are very excited Steve is joining our staff as a fielding coach," Brown said. "His experience as a player and successful coach at both domestic and international level will be invaluable for our group as we prepare for tough tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa in the next six months. The group of coaches we now have in place has a great blend of coaching expertise and cricket experience to benefit this developing Australian side and Steve has an important role to play as we move forward."

Rixon said he was thrilled to be working with the team during the coming tours. "Fielding skills play such an important role in the modern game and often proves the difference between winning and losing," Rixon said. "I feel my experience firstly as a player and more importantly a successful coach across the world can help many of these young Australian players, together with the outstanding group of assistants Tim Nielsen has at his disposal.

"The Australian team has long been known as one of the best fielding sides in world cricket and my job will not only be to maintain the good work done before but about setting the benchmark for opposition sides."