McDonald said that Maxwell's name was discussed ahead of the tour to Pakistan and his ability to score runs in the sub-continent and the spin bowling option ensures he is always in the mix.

Australia's top cricket body appointed Andrew McDonald as national coach on Wednesday, two months after the shock departure of Justin Langer.

Australia interim head coach Andrew McDonald has said that Babar Azam denied his side a victory after playing a 196-run knock in the second Test that was played in Karachi

Pakistan vs Australia: Asked about the future of the tour, McDonald said: "Our security people are there for us and we will be guided by them. "We have been well taken care of since we reached Rawalpindi and are constantly being advised and guided by experts who know their job.

Australia's interim coach Andrew McDonald advocated the importance of the IPL, saying the upcoming edition will be a nice build up for his team as it defends its T20 World Cup title on home soil later this year.

Australia will look to move on from the polarising departure of coach Justin Langer when they line-up for their Twenty20 clash against Sri Lanka on Friday

Andrew McDonald the reins after Langer abruptly left last weekend, having failed to secure the public support of key players despite guiding Australia to an emphatic 4-0 Ashes victory over England and a maiden T20 World Cup title.

Cricket Australia on Saturday confirmed that Andrew McDonald has been appointed as the interim head coach of the senior men's team.

This comes after Justin Langer guided Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title and a recent 4-0 drubbing of arch-rivals England in the Ashes

The contract extension offered to Justin was the result of a thorough review process that evaluated many factors including future requirements of the team and the upcoming extensive schedule of fixtures