He retired from the BBL last season with 1947 runs in eight seasons.
Big Bash League's (BBL) all-time leading runscorer Michael Klinger has been appointed as the head coach of Melbourne Renegades ahead of the upcoming ninth edition of the BBL 2019-20.
The franchise has announced the appointment of Klinger on Tuesday, November 26 for the upcoming season BBL09 which will get underway from December 17.
Klinger, the former Australian batsman, replaced the BBL title-winning coach Andrew McDonald who resigned after taking a role as Australia's senior assistant coach to Justin Langer.
Having retired from professional game last season, the 39-year old, who previously played for the Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers in the BBL, is ready to embrace the pressures of coaching.
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Shaun Graf, Cricket Victoria's general manager of cricket, said of Klinger’s appointment, “This was a highly sought-after role and we had candidates from across the globe. We are pleased that we were able to secure a person held in such high esteem.”
He continued, “The qualities that made 'Maxy' such an accomplished player are the qualities that will set him up for an excellent coaching career. He's well prepared, well structured and an excellent man manager with fantastic leadership experience.”
Meanwhile, Klinger is looking forward to the new innings as head coach of the BBL side.
He said: “To be given the opportunity to coach the current BBL champions is obviously very humbling and a fantastic honor. I’ve played with and against a number of players in the squad and I’m looking forward to working alongside such a talented playing group.”
Klinger signed off by saying, “I’ve been fortunate to represent some outstanding organizations throughout my career and the lessons I’ve learned along the way leave me feeling as well prepared as I can be for the challenges that will inevitably emerge throughout the season.”
Noteworthy, the South Australian played 206 T20 matches in his career and went on to score 5960 runs at an average of 34.45 and a strike-rate of 123.08.
(With ESPN Cricinfo Inputs)