BBC SPORT | Cricket | Women's cricket | McInnes to coach Australian women

Richard McInnes has been appointed the new head coach of the Australian women's cricket team.

McInnes replaces former opening bat Lisa Keightley, who resigned in May after 12 months in the post.

He has been performance analyst for the Australian men's team since 2005 and has also worked as a coach at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence.

"I'm very excited at the opportunity and I'm looking forward to an exciting and challenging period," McInnes said.

McInnes will start his new role when he returns from the West Indies, where he is on tour with the Australian men's team, in mid-July.

His initial task will be to prepare the Southern Stars for their defence of the ICC Women's World Cup, which takes place in Australia in March 2009.

"There's been a strong skill focus on the women's game for a long time and I think there's a chance to move toward more tactical, game awareness development, so that's something I'll investigate initially," McInnes added.