AUCKLAND: Australian Ben Sawyer has been appointed the New Zealand women's team head coach on a two-year contract.
Sawyer joins the White Ferns having most recently worked as the Australian women's fast bowling coach since 2018 under erstwhile head coach Matthew Mott. He is also the head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred and has previously been head coach of the Sydney Sixers WBBL team.
The 42-year-old joined the White Ferns in a training camp at Bay Oval on Monday ahead of his first two assignments: the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the subsequent tour to the West Indies.
"I see a lot of potential in this White Ferns group and I feel really optimistic about helping to untap that potential, so they can take their cricket to the next level. It's certainly going to be a learning process as I get to know the players and they get to know me, and my cricket philosophies and coaching style," Sawyer said.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine said Sawyer would represent something of a reset for the group, bringing new ideas, strategies, and philosophies into the mix.
"We are really looking forward to working with Ben and receiving the benefit of his experience," she said. "He's been a key figure in the ongoing success of the Australian women's team and we hope we can tap into that bank of experience and grow together as a team."
The upcoming Commonwealth Games campaign in Birmingham and the tour to West Indies will be really helpful in that regard - there's nothing like away tours for bringing a group together and sharing a common purpose.