New Zealand rope in Stephen Fleming, James Foster and Ian Bell in coaching staff ahead of ODI World Cup

New Zealand have proven to be a consistent team in ODI World Cups as they finished runner-up in the 2015 and 2019 editions of the marquee event. The Blackcaps have made some tactical inclusions in their coaching staff ahead of the forthcoming ODI World Cup which begins on October 5.

The Kiwis have roped in former national captain Stephen Fleming, legendary England batter Ian Bell, and former England wicketkeeper James Foster in important coaching roles ahead of the 10-team World Cup. Fleming has been the head coach of Chennai Super Kings since 2009 and helped MS Dhoni's men win the Indian Premier League on five occasions.

On the other hand, Foster has been the assistant coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders for a few seasons now. His compatriot, Bell, played a lot of international matches in the subcontinent and against some of the best spinners in the world. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead felt that the trio's experience of Indian conditions would bode well for the New Zealand team as they aim to go the distance in the impending World Cup.

"I think Flem [Stephen Fleming] will be great for players on that side of it and also good for the staff as well. He's got immense amount of knowledge in that part of the world [India] and has coached in the IPL right from the start of the competition, so he's coached in all those areas where we're going to play in. So, it might just be the little one-two percenters you can get from that information that could tip the results on your side as well. If things go well you can pick up on some of those small things," Gary was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"James [Foster] will come to the World Cup; he's got a lot of experience in the IPL with the KKR side and in an assistant coach role there he's worked with video analysts, so will give us a lot of information, and knowledge for us to consider when we approach all the different venues in the World Cup," he added.

The next assignment for the Kiwis is a four-match T20I series followed by a four-match ODI series against England. The first T20I is scheduled to be played on Wednesday, August 30. After the final ODI takes place on September 15, New Zealand will travel to Bangladesh to face Shakib Al Hasan's men in a three-match ODI series, right before the World Cup.

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