Stay local for Black Caps coach

New Zealand’s domestic cricket coaches were all in the same room at a conference last week when they were stopped in their tracks.

Minutes before Thursday’s public announcement in Auckland, they were told Mike Hesson had suddenly walked as Black Caps coach, a year out from the World Cup.

The room in Christchurch was suddenly abuzz; some maintained a poker face and others reached for their phones as the likes of Gary Stead (Canterbury), Heinrich Malan (Central Stags), Bruce Edgar (Wellington) and Mark O’donnell (Auckland) digested the job vacancy no one foresaw.

Across the world, preparing his Scotland team for what turned out to be a stunning upset of England, Grant Bradburn would have done a double take when he awoke and read the news.

None of the above have publicly stated they’ll apply, but New Zealand Cricket needs look no further than those five for its shortlist. Let the best interviewee with the best vision, and the endorsement of captain Kane Williamson, win this race to take the team to the United Arab Emirates in October. No need to go global.

None of the top coaches in the Indian Premier League or Big Bash will be interested (Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori included) in the full-time job for less money and much more time on the road. Fleming could be approached as an adviser for the World Twenty20 in Australia in 2020, but that’s it. Shane Bond has previously said the full-time role doesn’t appeal.

Overseas T20 guns such as Gary Kirsten, Ricky Ponting or Tom Moody won’t be keen, and even then a big-name foreign coach arriving cold is no guarantee for success.

The NZC board, which will sign off the new appointment, meets today with the scope of the coach hunt and job description on the agenda. As yet there is no time frame.

Bradburn, Stead, Malan, Edgar and O’donnell have all won New Zealand domestic titles, and know the players and Hesson’s system well. They’ve all been selection consultants. NZC doesn’t need a coaching shakeup, it needs more of the same at the top: a well-organised, meticulous planner who commands respect, will pick the right players and provide Williamson the best support.

Splitting the coaching roles is unlikely and unwieldy. Appoint the new head coach under the same structure and support staff for one year until the end of the World Cup, with the option to extend another two years and potentially tweak the role and hire his own assistants, including one who can take the reins to share the burden during a punishing home summer.

Six years ago Hesson was hired ahead of Matthew Mott – now Australia’s women’s coach – as NZC followed through on an intent to appoint a local. He also showed you didn’t need to be a former first-class cricketer to excel, although Stead, Bradburn and Edgar all own black test caps.

Hiring a New Zealander – or in Malan’s case a South African who coached in our domestic competition for five years – shows there are legitimate career pathways. Malan was on the New Zealand A tour to India last year; Bradburn also coached NZA

(and his stocks are rising with that remarkable Scotland upset); Stead coached the White Ferns to a World Cup final and joined the Black Caps camp this past year; Edgar was a national selector, then tasted immediate success in Wellington; and O’donnell is a strong technical coach who’s been a Black Caps assistant before.

From the outside it’s difficult to line up the contenders, results aside.

If the bookies were framing a market, Stead would be the early favourite after three Plunket Shield titles in four years, but it’s a tight race. Edgar appeals as best suited to continue the Hesson blueprint, with his selection nous, over-arching style and empowerment of the senior player group which built a strong culture at the Firebirds. He’s still undecided if whether he will apply, though.

Bradburn oversaw Williamson’s rise at Northern Districts and the captain’s opinion may well determine how far he gets. Malan is the wildcard and has a young family which is not a great mix with long months on the road, but he’s produced results and new Black Caps, and earned respect.

Let the race begin, but keep it close to home.