Strategy, smarts and people skills: The man behind ‘Ronball’ and why he’d hate the attention

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Bazball: A style of Test cricket in which the batting side attempts to gain the initiative by playing in a highly aggressive manner. Origin: Brendon McCullum, known as Baz (born 1981), New Zealand cricketer and coach.

The Collins Dictionary added Bazball to its lexicon in 2023. Now, with 2026 almost upon us, we have a new word to define.

Ronball: An intelligent style of Test cricket, played without ego, which adapts to the circumstances of the game and conditions. Defeated Bazball in 2025. Origin: Andrew McDonald, known as Ron (born 1981), Australian cricketer and coach.

Steve Smith was among the Australian players celebrating their Ashes win in a “Ronball” T-shirt.

I promise you Andrew McDonald would not have liked it when Travis Head rolled out those now-famous “Ronball” T-shirts to celebrate Australia’s Ashes victory in Adelaide this week.

It’s not that he would be angry – that’s not in his nature – and I’m sure he would’ve laughed at the gag along with the players and support staff as they toasted their win. But he would’ve been embarrassed to have so much attention on him as Australian coach.

I’ve known Ron for many years. We were fierce rivals in the Sheffield Shield. I was part of the Test team when he made his four appearances in the baggy green, and we teamed up years later to help the Sydney Thunder win its first – and so far only – BBL title.

Andrew McDonald and Pat Cummins lead the Australian Test cricket team in an understated way.

He is one of the smartest cricket people I know. That goes for his tactical mind on the field, and for the thoughtful way he interacts with others in the dressing room and develops team culture.

I see so many of his attributes reflected in the way this Australian team now plays.

Firstly, there is the strategy.

As Thunder captain, I always tapped into Ron’s advice. We had access to all sorts of analytics and data, but I trusted his expertise and calm, simple view of the game above it all.

Next month will mark 10 years since we won the BBL final. Ron had fallen out of our starting XI by the end of the season, but he was still my trusted confidant.

Ron’s fingerprints are all over the clever strategies and the calm, patient approach I see employed by this Australian team, and a big reason they’ve been able to secure the Ashes so quickly this summer.

I don’t agree with every move they make. I would prefer to see more stability in the teams they pick, in particular the batting order, and there’s no way I would’ve dropped Nathan Lyon in Brisbane.

The Australians toast their victory in their new T-shirts, courtesy of Travis Head.

But it’s also obvious to me that a lot of thought and strategy goes into every move that is made. More importantly, I’m confident the thought processes behind those decisions are communicated clearly to the players.

As a player, Ron was not the quickest bowler, or the most talented batsman or the most agile fielder. But he was one hell of a competitor. He was a working-class player, who had an excellent Sheffield Shield career and earned a Test cap by using his wits and adapting his game to always benefit the team.

Now as a coach, it is obvious that he understands what makes players tick and how their individual strengths can benefit the team. It helps that he has such an experienced line-up at his disposal, but it also takes excellent people skills to back individuals in a team environment to do things their way, while quietly keeping them always focused on the goals of the collective.

In Adelaide, Australia wrapped up the series despite the late withdrawal of their batting lynchpin Steve Smith to bouts of vertigo.

Whereas other teams might have got flustered to lose such an important player within minutes of the coin toss, this Australian side seems to take all manner of hurdles in its stride.

I’ve no doubt Ron’s no-fuss, straightforward approach is a big contributor to that. He is a very level person. He doesn’t get carried away by success, nor does he wallow in pity or over-dramatise matters when things don’t go his way. He just rolls up his sleeves and gets on with the job.

Think about how McDonald’s team responded last summer when they were smacked by India in the first Test in Perth by 295 runs. There was no knee-jerk reaction. They stayed composed, gathered themselves, and responded to win the series 3-1.

Also consider the adversity they have overcome to win this Ashes series, including ill-timed injuries to key players Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Smith and Usman Khawaja. Even the Lyon selection drama could have blown up in their faces, but it didn’t. I put that down to measured, intelligent leadership.

Which brings me to the dressing room, where McDonald is in his element.

He might seem a bit dry to the media, but trust me, that’s just his ego-less way of deflecting attention. Behind closed doors, Ron is personable and funny. He’s great company with a wicked sense of humour.

McDonald knows what makes players tick. Here he gives batsman Josh Inglis a pep talk.

Over the years it’s been widely reported that Australia’s post-match celebrations for our win over South Africa at the SCG in January 2009 was interrupted by a dispute between teammates Michael Clarke and Simon Katich. What’s less known is how Ron – on Test debut – broke the ice and tension in the rooms when Katich apologised after that dust-up.

“Don’t worry, this happens all the time in Victoria,” he quipped with tongue in cheek.

Two months later in Durban, I was having the most difficult day of my Test career. I was batting late on day one and struggling to survive against South African paceman Dale Steyn, who was exploiting a ridge on the pitch.

In frustration, I let Steyn have it, abusing him verbally for peppering me with bouncers. “F--- you, Dale Steyn,” I yelled at him. Steyn responded by telling me, “You’re shitting yourself, aren’t you.”

He was right and I knew it.

But I survived and made it back to the sheds that night with 37 runs next to my name. Once inside the rooms, I slumped in my chair hiding my head in my hands, tired, emotional and, most of all, embarrassed at how I’d lost my cool.

Ron was the first to approach me. He sat beside me, put his arm around me and said, “Thanks for getting me through that.”

He was the next batter in, and was telling me how grateful he was that he didn’t have to bat against Steyn that night. It was a self-effacing moment from a new guy on the team, but it helped me rethink my appraisal of how I’d batted that day.

It wasn’t pretty or fancy, but it was gritty and it served a purpose for the team. My sense of embarrassment washed away.

Perhaps that was my introduction to Ronball.

Mike Hussey played 79 Tests for Australia and will commentate for Fox Cricket and Kayo this summer.

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