Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Blackcaps legend approached for coach role as former teammate applies
Alex Chapman • May 15th, 2025 9:00 am
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
One of New Zealand’s greatest ever players has said no to applying for the role of Blackcaps coach, in favour of being a part of the Ashes.
Sport Nation can reveal that former Blackcaps captain Daniel Vettori was approached to put his name forward for the job, which has been advertised since early April.
However, New Zealand’s greatest spinner has been an assistant to Australian coach Andrew McDonald for the last three years and is signed on for this year’s home Ashes.
Last month, Gary Stead confirmed he’ll step away from coaching the Blackcaps white-ball sides and that would take time to reflect on whether he wants to reapply for the role of test coach when his current contract expires in June.
It’s unclear if that decision has been made yet, though it’s believed that the overarching preference from the players is for it to not be a shared role. As one source said “in any industry, there has to be one boss.”
Given his experience with the Australian side, and time in overseas tournaments, Vettori’s experience would’ve had him as a leading candidate for the role. Vettori is also currently the coach of Indian Premier League franchise the Sunrisers Hyderabad and was previously with the Royal Challengers Bangalore - he’s also spent time coaching in the T20 Blast and Hundred in the UK.
At just 18 years and 10 days, Vettori was New Zealand’s youngest ever test cricketer when he was given his cap in 1997. He would go on to become only the eighth allrounder to take 300 test wickets and make 3000 runs, finishing his career with 362 at 36.36 and 4,531 at an average of 30 respectively.
His flight, control and guile also made him a threat in ODI cricket, where he took 305 wickets, while he also captained New Zealand from 2007 until after the 2011 World Cup, and retired (albeit not for the first time) in 2015.
However, it’s not all bad news for fans of that vintage of the Blackcaps.
Sport Nation has been told that former fast bowler Shane Bond has applied for the job.
Shane Bond with the Blackcaps | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Bond, who served as Blackcaps bowling coach from 2012 until after the 2015 World Cup, is currently in the same role with Indian Premier League (IPL) side the Rajasthan Royals. He was head coach of Big Bash team the Sydney Thunder, the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, and SA20 franchise the Paarl Royals, as well as various other coaching roles around the world.
One of the fastest bowlers New Zealand’s produced, though also one of the great “what if’s”, the Cantab’s career was cruelly cut short by several back injuries.
Time out of the game due to the controversial Indian Cricket League also meant that Bond only played 18 tests, taking 87 wickets at an average of 22.09, with five 5fers and a 10 wicket bag, while in ODI cricket, he captured 147 scalps at 20.88.
Sport Nation can also reveal that former Blackcaps bowling coach Shane Jurgensen has applied for the job. Jurgensen has head coach experience overseas, having been with Bangladesh, Fiji and briefly Scotland.
The 48-year-old oversaw arguably New Zealand’s most-successful period as a bowling group, building depth behind generational talents Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner. Jurgensen left the Blackcaps to get more head coach experience in 2023, to take up a role with Wellington, where he had immediate success, winning the Plunket Shield.
Meanwhile one source has described Rob Walter as “The standout guy however you look at it.” with another saying he’s “The most-comparable to Mike Hesson and Gary Stead."
A source has indicated that Walter has also put his name in the hat for the Blackcaps role.
Walter was most-recently coach of the white ball teams of his native South Africa, but the travel to and from New Zealand is believed to have taken a serious toll, resulting in him stepping down two years into a four-year term. Walter has two young sons who along with his wife, stayed in Aotearoa.
Walter’s coaching experience is vast, leading sides here and offshore. In 2016 he moved to New Zealand to take charge of the Otago men’s team, before shifting to the Central Stags for two seasons.
Before heading to New Zealand, Walter oversaw the Titans in South Africa’s domestic competition, which was his first time in the role after being South Africa’s strength and conditioning and fielding coach between 2009 and 2013. He’s also spent time in the IPL with the Delhi Daredevils and now-defunct Pune Warriors.
The appointment panel for the Blackcaps coach will be NZ Cricket CEO Scott Weenink, board members Dion Nash and Roger Twose, plus two yet-to-be-decided players. The players will be representatives of the rest of the playing group as they convey their thoughts around the contenders.
NZC hopes to have the role in place in the next four to six weeks.
Tune into Ric & Chappy on Sport Nation Mornings, 9am to 12pm Thursdays and Fridays.
Could Shane Bond be the best fit for the Blackcaps coaching role? | Sport Nation Mornings
