As far as resumes go, Matthew Mott’s successful submission to the ECB was clearly a cracker.
England Men’s new white-ball coach takes up the role on the back of overwhelming success with the Australian Women’s team; a seven-year tenure during which they won two T20 World Cups, three Ashes series, a record 26 consecutive ODIs, went five years without a series loss in any format and - most recently - lifted the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand.
Some will undoubtedly consider it a significant caveat that he was coaching by far the best-funded and supported team in the women’s game and others that these results don’t count for much in the men’s equivalent.
And yes, Mott had enviable resources and depth at his disposal compared to his counterparts around the world - his time at the helm coincided with Cricket Australia’s dramatic increase in investment in women’s domestic cricket, including the advent of the WBBL and better pay and conditions for domestic and national cricketers alike.
But the manner in which he used Australia’s “crucible” (his own term) moment, when they were knocked out of the 2016 Women’s World Cup in England by India, as a catalyst to build an all-conquering juggernaut is perhaps instructive as to the qualities that have impressed his new employers.
A Kiwi coaching England's Test team.
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An Australian coaching England's white ball sides.
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In the wake of that World Cup exit he collaborated closely with senior players understanding that, unless they took united ownership of any new direction, it would be harder to implement change.
Along with Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes, Mott kept the underlying mantras simple; just a few words underpinned every training session and team meeting as he set out his stall to create a winning culture.
Accountability was a cornerstone of the new philosophy but another word often heard was fearless.
Mentored by Bayliss and recommended by McCullum
Time and again since the new Australia emerged from the crucible moment, their fearlessness has been on display and with it came a confidence that, when one player failed, there was always another to get the team home; it became their defining characteristic.
It’s no coincidence that Mott embraced an aggressive and fearless approach in 2016, a year after England Men - wounded from their own crucible 2015 World Cup moment - adopted a similar credo from New Zealand.
Mott was assistant to Trevor Bayliss for three years at New South Wales before taking over as head coach in 2007 and has spoken of his admiration for the way England played white-ball cricket under his former mentor.
MORE: England announce appointment of New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum as Test coach
He also forged a close relationship with Brendon McCullum when Mott was the Kolkata Knight Riders’ assistant coach in the early days of the IPL, so much so that McCullum recommended Mott for the New Zealand head coach position eventually awarded to Mike Hesson.
Now amidst the widespread overhaul of England cricket, the pair are reunited as coaches of the national teams; two men who share similar outlooks on how the game should be played, albeit in different formats, but with teams in contrasting conditions.
Like McCullum, Mott is an affable and cheery character. He has been popular with Australia’s female players and has shown a willingness to understand the different skills required to successfully coach women at an elite level, whether it involved adjusting the way he communicated, collaborated or sought feedback.
A passionate advocate of the women's game
He oversaw the creation of an environment in which new talent blossomed and boundaries were pushed. One need only look at Australia’s emerging crop of fast bowlers, the likes of Tayla Vlaeminck, Stella Campbell and Darcie Brown, to get an idea of where Mott would like to take women’s cricket.
On the flip side, he worked with assistant spin coach Shelley Nitschke - who will take over as interim head coach, to successfully bring Alana King into the fold; the legspinner made her debut in all three formats last summer and was a standout in the Women’s Ashes and the World Cup.
Mott has been a passionate advocate of the women’s game and is the coaches’ representative on the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee, although he will undoubtedly resign when he takes up the England job, and has described coaching a national men’s side as a step across, not up.
His appointment may represent something of a shift in how coaching women is perceived. After all, it is his success with Australia that is his most recent and visible calling card, more prominent than his coaching roles in various domestic and franchise men’s sides.
Coaching is often about having the right person in charge of a particular group of players at a specific time in their development. Justin Langer and Andy Flower are just two examples of coaches who may have been a good fit at the start but whose players outgrew them.
Now, amid England’s tumultuous overhaul, how Mott slots into the puzzle alongside McCullum, the forceful presence of captain Eoin Morgan, the ECB’s new director of cricket Rob Key and - of course - the rank and file of England’s white ball team - will be fascinating to watch.
But, on the face of it at least, an experienced coach who led Australia to world dominance, who was mentored by Bayliss, who enjoys a good relationship with McCullum and whose collaborative approach should suit Morgan seems an obvious fit.
Ultimately, though, results are a coach’s only currency. Mott, with plenty in the bank, is now entering a brand new marketplace