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After their recent T20 World Cup success, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have reappointed White Ferns head coach Ben Sawyer for a further two years.
Sawyer, a 46 year-old Australian, was first appointed in June 2022 on a two-year contract, which was later extended until the end of the side’s tour to India in October, a three-match tour which immediately followed that unexpected victory on the global stage.
He will now remain in charge until December 2026, which means he will oversee the 50-over World Cup in India in September and October next year, as well as the defence of their T20 World Cup in England in 2026.
New Zealand Cricket started their review of Sawyer’s position before the squad departed for Australia in the run-up to the recent T20 World Cup, a deliberate decision to minimise disruption and distraction during the tournament.
NZC Head of Women’s High Performance, Liz Green, feels that under Sawyer, the recent success is just the beginning for this side.
“I guess to the naked eye, performances over the last 12 months are one story, but internally we always knew what we were trying to achieve with this group and what Ben inherited as a coach two years ago was quite a young developing group, so first and foremost his priority and task and focus has been to develop this team. The performances might not have always been seen in terms of the win column, but internally we were seeing players develop and that for us was why we wanted to complete that review before the World Cup,” Green says.
Green confirms that as part of the review, NZC spoke to all the players and staff, as well as other stakeholders who feed into the White Ferns programme, such as the head coaches of the major association sides around the country
“For us, removing any bias of performances was pretty crucial and it was quite an extensive review. It really focused on that learning process with the fact that Ben was tasked with developing the playing group and what we were learning over the past two years and what’s been the good, the bad and the ugly,” she says.
“I think the first two years of Ben’s tenure, we’re only scratching the surface. We’ve built a really strong support group around Ben. We’ve got a really strong, developing cohort of White Ferns who are starting to put their hands up and believe in themselves,” she says.
Sawyer himself is delighted to be able to continue the work he and the other staff have started.
“I want to thank New Zealand Cricket for their support and for their leadership. It was always about trying to develop this team, so, I’m really grateful and have to thank the selectors who made some hard calls when they let a few senior players go. My job was then to see that through,” Sawyer says.
“They made some really good calls around the likes of Izzy Gaze and Georgia Plimmer and they saw something in those kids and it was my job to try and stick with that and at times that was tough, but I always had that support from New Zealand Cricket that we were developing them. Did I think it would come as fast as it did with the T20 World Cup? No I didn’t, but I thought they were tracking along and in Australia [before the T20 World Cup] I thought there were signs that things were turning and we were seeing improvements,” he says.
Sawyer says he now has two major goals in his head. First the two pinnacle events, the ODI World Cup next year and the T20 World Cup the year after. But more importantly he thinks his job over the next two years is to build depth.
“I’d love to have eight or nine batters fighting for six spots who are genuinely fighting for those spots. I think if we’re being honest, we can see that the bowlers at the moment are fighting for spots. I’ve had to leave Hannah [Rowe] and Jess [Kerr] out at times, and even Molly [Penfold] and they are playing for spots and I think that means we are getting the best out of them,” Sawyer says.
“My job, and I feel the system’s job, and all the coaches in the major associations, is if we can build the batting stocks as well, then I think we’re in a really good spot. If we can create eight or nine really strong batting prospects, I think that’s going to get the best out of the team,” he says.
NZC’s five-year strategic plan for 2024/25-2028/29 outlines a goal that the White Ferns will consistently reach the semi-finals of the events they take part in; another goal is that the depth of talent pool of international cricketers grows year on year. It’s a challenge that both Green and Sawyer are relishing.
“We’ve got a really strong U19 two-year cycle related to the World Cup and in domestic cricket we’ve got the A programme and the North v South series, which are really critical for players to move through the pathway. I think now players are genuinely starting to see a pathway and strive to perform strongly at domestic cricket and work their way up,” Green says.
Although there are a growing number of female leaders in New Zealand Cricket, it’s unclear how quickly a woman will be in a position to succeed Sawyer, or the head coaches that follow him. When Craig McMillan was appointed as Sawyer’s assistant coach earlier this year, no females applied for the job.
“I’m a firm believer that it’s always the best coach for the job, regardless of gender,” says Green, but I’m a big advocate and supporter of trying to get more females coaches into our systems and across our programmes.
“For me, I think, yes, we get criticism for not appointing more female coaches to roles, but equally the context I have is that is saddens me that no females apply for these roles and I guess that’s the question I’ve been asking internally, how do we create opportunities for females coaches where they feel they can reach out and ask the question.
“We’ve got some great female leaders in the game – we’ve just appointed Sarah Tsukigawa as national women’s selector – but for me, we’ve got to start somewhere and I’m really proud of the work that’s done within our communities,” she says. “We’re becoming a lot more inclusive and open in terms of women feeling comfortable enough to be in our system and it’s how we keep growing that level of comfort for female coaches. I guess the final hurdle is making sure those female coaches are ready to take on a role, but I’m encouraged by what I’m seeing,” she says.
Now that Sawyer has been reappointed, his first task with his reunited White Ferns squad is the highly anticipated Rose Bowl series against Australia, made up of a three-match ODI series at Wellington’s Basin Reserve, on December 19, 21 and 23. The first of those matches will be free for spectators to attend and the T20 World Cup trophy will be on display. The squad will be named later this week.
“It’s now onto ODI cricket and how we can develop that. We’ve got the world’s toughest assignment with the world’s best ODI team coming up. Once again, it’s going to be hard and we’ll be trying to win every single game, but we also know that we’re getting ready for that World Cup, playing that way.”
Aiden McLaughlin is a freelance sports writer. A father of two young daughters, he spends much of his spare time supporting their many sporting activities. More by Aiden McLaughlin
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