Troy Cooley will become acting coach of the Australia side for the final three games of its England tour because Tim Nielsen is returning home early to spend time with his family. Nielsen, in charge for Australia's 2-1 Ashes series defeat, wrapped up at the Oval last month, will return home to Adelaide after the fourth fixture in the upcoming seven match one-day series. Wednesday's announcement by Cricket Australia (CA) means Cooley, primarily a bowling coach, will take over ahead of the fifth match on Sept. 13 before Nielsen rejoins the squad before the Champions Trophy in South Africa, which starts on Sept. 22. Cooley played a key role as a member of England's backroom staff during its 2005 Ashes series win, helping hone the skills of the ‘Fab Four' pace quartet of Stephen Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones. But soon afterward he returned home to take a similar role with Australia. “The Australian team has played back-to-back international cricket since September 2008 and looking at the busy schedule over the next 12 months, we believe it is the right time for Tim to take a break,” said CA general manager of cricket Michael Brown in a statement. “This will also provide an excellent opportunity for Tim's assistant, Troy Cooley, to continue his professional development by stepping up as acting coach for the remainder of the tour.” Local media reported Nielsen's break was unprecedented since the national team coach was created for Bob Simpson in 1986. But it does follow a similar rest for skipper Ricky Ponting, who was given a break between the Ashes Tests and the middle of the ODI series to return to Australia. Nielsen, a former first-class wicketkeeper, succeeded John Buchanan as coach after Australia won the 2007 World Cup, but his period in charge has coincided with the retirements of some of Australia's great players, leaving him with the task of rebuilding the national team. Meanwhile, Australia captain Michael Clarke insisted the umpires were right to call-off the second Twenty20 match against England at Old Trafford without a ball being bowled. The match was abandoned after two pitch inspections by umpires Peter Hartley and Nigel Llong, much to the disgust of a 19,500 capacity crowd. Afterward, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) promised to hold an inquiry into the abandonment, which meant the series ended 0-0 after Sunday's opener at Lancashire headquarters also finished as a no
