Cooley returns to Australia

Troy Cooley, the fast-bowling coach who helped England regain the Ashes last year, has returned home to begin shoring up Australia's pace attack ahead of the much-anticipated rematch later this year.

Cooley was recruited by Cricket Australia last December after he played a leading role in the development of England's fast bowlers - Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard - who helped their country beat Australia for the first time in 18 years.

Cooley will begin work with Australia's younger fast bowlers at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane during the domestic off-season, and will help train the A team throughout the July series against other A teams from New Zealand, India and Pakistan.

His work with Australia's quicks, coupled with the dossier on England's pacemen, will greatly boost Australia in their attempt to regain the Ashes urn starting in November.

"It was a real coup to get Troy back here," Australia's chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It was quite clear from last year's Ashes just how good a job he did with England's quicks. They were awesome. We are very happy with our batch of quicks coming through, and it's exciting to think the kind of impact he could have with them."

Tasmanian-born Cooley had served as England's fast bowling coach since May 2003, and he returned to Australia to take up his new job after the expiry of his contract with the England & Wales Cricket Board this month.

Along with former Australian wicket-keeper Rod Marsh, Cooley helped establish the fast bowling program at England's National Cricket Academy.

Part of Cooley's task will be to develop young fast bowling talents Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Dorey, who have all been selected for the Australia A team in the Top End series in Darwin and Cairns in July.