Nielsen set for early departure

Tim Nielsen, right, will hand over the reigns to former England bowling coach Troy Cooley for the final three ODI matches

Australia coach Tim Nielsen will return home from England early to spend time with his family, leaving his assistant Troy Cooley in charge for the final three games of the tour.

Having overseen Australia's second successive Ashes series defeat on English soil last month, Cricket Australia has granted Nielsen leave to fly back to Adelaide after the fourth game of the upcoming seven-match NatWest one-day series.

Cooley will take over ahead of the fifth match on September 13 before Nielsen rejoins the squad ahead of the Champions Trophy in South Africa from September 22.

"The Australian team has played back-to-back international cricket since September 2008 and looking at the busy schedule over the next 12 months, we believe it is the right time for Tim to take a break," said CA general manager of cricket Michael Brown.

"This will also provide an excellent opportunity for Tim's assistant, Troy Cooley, to continue his professional development by stepping up as acting coach for the remainder of the tour."

The decision to send Nielsen home early comes after Australia skipper Ricky Ponting returned following the completion of the Test series. Ponting is due back in England shortly, midway through the one-day series.