“I don’t think the story is entirely accurate … a lot of mistruths to that story,” McDonald told the Herald and The Age. “I don’t know how those things take shape or come to light.”
McDonald said there were “more than four or five people there”, estimating there were up to “10 people” at any one time. He also stressed it was not an organised meeting.
“That’s probably where I end it,” McDonald said.
Justin Langer won the Ashes but lost his job.Credit:Getty
While the subject of Langer may have been broached, the Herald has been told by sources with knowledge of the situation that not all players mentioned by Vaughan were present. Some players are frustrated they were implicated.
Subsequent reports were published suggesting players wanted Bayliss to replace Langer. Bayliss said this week he had not been contacted by CA about the role.
Australian squad members gathered at the pub in Hobart on arrival from Sydney because their luggage had not arrived at the hotel.
Steve Smith receives treatment on the boundary after hitting his head trying to save a six.Credit:Getty
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing for the three-Test tour of Pakistan and there is good news for Australia, with Smith making steady progress from the concussion he suffered while fielding in the second T20 international against Sri Lanka, which ruled him out for the remaining three fixtures.
“He’s in Melbourne, so he’s been cleared to fly [to Pakistan],” McDonald said. “He’s on the mend in terms of recovering from that concussion. We’ll just build him up slowly. He started light duties today. He’ll build that up and see how he responds to that activity.
“At this stage, assuming all goes well, he’ll be available for that first Test match.
“It’s something that’s familiar to him. He’s been there before. He’s got a pretty good handle on it, so that’s a positive out of a negative. Having concussion before, he knows what to expect and how to build up to a game.”
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McDonald said he hadn’t formally met with CA about the head coaching role and wouldn’t before the Pakistan tour begins next week.
An appointment is expected to be made by the end of next month, before the Pakistan series concludes. McDonald said the head coaching interview process would not be a distraction.
“I’ve very happy with whatever timelines [CA] want to work within,” he said. “It won’t become a distraction. That’ll be happening in the background. Our focus is firmly on the first Test in Rawalpindi.
“I haven’t had any conversations either way. It was just really bedding down the interim role until the end of Pakistan and getting to work on the preparation and working on the team. No conversations had anywhere.
“There’s no appetite for me to seek clarity at the moment [on the role] because of what we’ve got in front of us.
“I will work through it once we see what the job looks like. There’s been some speculation around split roles or whether it’s one coach. That’ll all come out.”
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‘A lot of mistruths’: McDonald denies Vaughan’s account of pub ‘meeting’ about Langer
Source: Philippines Alive
