Aussie O'Neill to help Kiwi batsmen
Tuesday July 24, 4:34 PM
AAP
Endorsements from Australian players have helped low-profile New South Welshman Mark O'Neill secure a role as batting coach to the New Zealand cricket team.
O'Neill, 48, joins a beefed-up coaching panel to assist John Bracewell who retained his position as head coach for a further two years.
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O'Neill won five Australian domestic trophies in a playing career that began in NSW and ended with Western Australia in 1991, and he has since established a niche as a coach and consultant for both states.
He has played a significant role in the development of batting talents including Michael Hussey, Adam Voges and Marcus North - impressive referees for any coach.
"(O'Neill) has aided and overseen the development of many current Australian international batsmen, who have been very positive in endorsing Mark's ability as a batting coach of the highest order," NZ Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said.
"We're very lucky to have him on board."
It was widely thought that the always quotable Bracewell might struggle to keep his role as coach, following a bumpy 12-month period in which the team struggled at Test level, performed creditably at the World Cup and lost captain Stephen Fleming, who chose to quit his one-day cricket post at the conclusion of the cup.
However Vaughan said that the team had made enough positive strides to suggest Bracewell was the right man for the task.
"The consensus of all the (review) panel members was that there had been significant improvement by the side, particularly over the last 12 to 18 months," he said.
Bracewell said the Black Caps needed to step up, and not be content with occupying the middle rungs of the international rankings ladder.
"We need to stabilise our game plan obviously in the one-day game, but we need to become a harder unit in Test cricket - we need to become more consistent," Bracewell said.
"It's time to step up, but we've also got to solidify our depth."
To that end, Bracewell and O'Neill will be joined by former Kiwi opening batsman and India coach John Wright, who was appointed to an as yet undefined high performance position.
Wright had previously spurned the advances of Cricket Australia officials, who had spoken to him about taking up the role of head coach at the Australian Centre Of Excellence in Brisbane in place of outgoing overseer and now Australian team coach Tim Nielsen.