New Zealand coach John Wright will step down from the national side in August after rejecting an offer to extend his contract, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive David White said on Tuesday.
In a move White described as “disappointing”, he said Wright will leave the Black Caps after the upcoming tour of the West Indies.
“John has been an outstanding servant for cricket in New Zealand over a long time and it is disappointing to lose someone of his calibre,” White said in a statement.
“We were keen to see him continue his head coach role, however understand and respect his decision to look for another challenge.”
A gritty former opening batsman and one-time India coach, Wright took over a Black Caps outfit in disarray and guided it to the semifinals of last year's World Cup, as well as a rare Test win over Australia in Hobart. The statement gave no reason for Wright's departure, although he has reportedly had a tense relationship with Australian John Buchanan, who was appointed NZC's director of cricket in April last year.
“I appreciate the offer to extend my contract but after much consideration I feel it is the right time to move on and look at other opportunities,” Wright said in the statement.
No immediate replacement was announced.
“We are keen to fill this critical role as soon as possible but are conscious that we need to take the time to find the right candidate who can take us through to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup,” White said.
New Zealand will tour the West Indies in July and early August.
Keywords: New Zealand Cricket, John Wright
I welcome the introduction & new face of John Buchanan, & have never really liked or been a fan of John Wright, the guy is too laidback in personality, it would be great to eventually have someone of stronger mind like former our former All Black coach Graeme Henry...so am holding my breath in the meantime.
A coach needs to have a very strong right brain, i.e. he is
supposed to make strategies, have out-of-the-box thinking, motivate
those whose morale is down, help players overcome their weaknesses,
build on their strengths, etc. In such a role, one needs to be
pragmatic rather than tech-savvy. It does not mean that he should
not take the help of technology once in a while. Technology should
be only a means not an end in itself. John Wright has been a great
coach both with India and New Zealand. NZ will miss him dearly.
Good luck to John Buchanan.
Politics and Personal conflict.. Where will we be without them everywhere ?
Please Email the Editor