Ben Sawyer appointed New Zealand Women's head coach

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has appointed Ben Sawyer as the head coach of the New Zealand Women’s cricket team. He takes over the charge from Robert Carter who was with the team during the ODI World Cup earlier this year. Sawyer was the assistant coach of the Australia Women’s team prior to taking up this job. He is also the head coach of Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred and was at the helm of Sydney Sixers previously in WBBL too.

NZC has been in the news for the past couple of weeks after their controversial decision to leave out some of the experienced players from the contract list. The decision saw Amy Satterthwaite announcing her retirement from international cricket while some of the other players openly criticised the move. Sawyer was not a part of this process but is excited to work with the White Ferns. His first assignment with the White Ferns will be the upcoming Commonwealth Games which will be followed by a tour of the West Indies.

“I can’t wait to get stuck in. 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.

“If you get the players making a priority of the processes and concentrating on the preparation and routines that improve and develop performance, then the outcomes tend to look after themselves. That’s where consistency of performance comes from, and that’s what we’re seeking,” he said according to Cricbuzz.

Sophie Devine looking forward to working with Sawyer

New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine welcomed the move of NZC to appoint Ben Sawyer at the helm and stated that the whole team is excited to work with him. She also lauded him for his involvement in the immense success of the Australia Women’s team in the last few years and hoped to play a similar role in the White Ferns’ progress in the near future.

“We’re really looking forward to working with Ben and receiving the benefit of his experience. 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,” Devine said.