Adelaide Cricket Club thrilled to have ex-Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait sign on as senior coach

Former Australian speedster Shaun Tait will enter cricket’s coaching ranks at grade club Adelaide.

Tait, who played three Tests, 35 One-Day Internationals and 21 Twenty20 Internationals for Australia from 2005-16, was last week appointed to replace Shaun Seigert as the Buffalos senior coach.

Seigert stepped down last month after leading the Buffalos to their first two-day grand final since 2005/06 due to commitments as high-performance director of England captain Joe Root’s academy.

Adelaide cricket director Damian Patton said securing Tait, 36, was massive for the club.

Patton said Buffalos officials initiated discussions with Tait four weeks ago after learning he was interested in the role and club coaching.

“To have someone who’s had that level of experience at international level in those (three) forms is going to be pretty important, particularly for our young bowlers,” Patton said.

“(Buffalos captain and Redbacks all-rounder) Cam Valente is absolutely over the moon.

“Shaun’s genuinely interested in setting up a really good coaching base at club level and then obviously, in three or four years time, seeing if there’s anything available at international or state level.

“It’s a great opportunity for us but also for Shaun to come to a strong club that’s nearly had premiership success in the A grade and has a great bunch of young kids coming through.”

Tait played in the grade competition for Sturt during his state and international career, which ended in 2017.

New Adelaide coach Shaun Tait was still playing last season and blasted a century in the Alexandra and Eastern Hills competition for Hahndorf. Picture: Supplied

He lined up with Hahndorf in the Alexandra and Eastern Hills competition last season, making 501 runs at 35.8, including 129 against Bremer/Callington, and taking 20 wickets at 15.05.

But Patton, who captained Tait in Sturt’s B grade during the late 1990s, said the “Wild Thing” would not be a player/coach at Adelaide.

“While I haven’t had much to do with him over the last 20 years, I knew him as a young fella and he was always a great competitor on the field,” Patton said.

“Being a great competitor gives anyone a chance to be really good coaches.”

Patton said Buffalos officials and the club’s leadership group would catch up with Tait when he returned from India in the next week.

Tait’s coaching team will include Jeremy Appleton (assistant), Sam Raphael (batting) and Geoff Attenborough (bowling).