SYDNEY, Oct 18: John Buchanan has signed a new two-year contract as coach of the Australian team, Cricket Australia announced on Saturday.

Buchanan, 50, took over the role in Oct 1999, taking over from Geoff Marsh. He is now contracted until Oct 2005.

Since taking charge, Buchanan has helped Australia set several international cricketing benchmarks.

He was in charge for 15 of the team’s 16 straight Test victories, a world record, and supervised as Australia recorded 21 straight victories in limited-overs games in 2002-2003, including the World Cup triumph in South Africa.

“We are very pleased to have been able to extend John’s contract,” Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement.—AFP