Shane Bond, former New Zealand pacer was added as a fourth coach for the Kiwis for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE and the following three-game T20I series against India.
The former fast bowler is no stranger to the team following a three-year tenure as bowling coach (2012-15) and helped out as recently as 2019 in a T20 series against England, along with stints leading New Zealand A. Hence, Shane Bond is familiar with the Black Caps set-up.
Shane Bond Hopefully Will Bring Some Tactical Insight For Being In The UAE As Mumbai Indian’s Bowling Coach: Gary Stead
Since stepping back as Sydney Thunder coach earlier this year, former pacer Shane Bond has been assisting the men’s winter training squads at Lincoln and also helped the White Ferns prepare for their tour of England.
The 46-year-old will next month resume his role as bowling coach with the Mumbai Indians as IPL 2021 restarts in the UAE, before linking up with the Kiwi T20 World Cup squad. Head coach Gary Stead said it was great to add someone of Shane Bond’s experience to the group.
“Shane’s been in our environment before and understands what we’re about. Being in the UAE (with the IPL) immediately prior to the world cup … he’ll hopefully bring some tactical insight into what’s been happening in the competition,” said Stead in an official release.
“He’ll be an extra set of hands especially around the bowlers, working with the spin and the pace bowlers and developing their plans in a tournament that moves pretty quick – so we need to be one step ahead of other teams,” he added.
New Zealand was the first team to confirm their 2021 T20I World Cup squad last week and will head into the tournament with tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan although without their IPL players. Gary Stead will also miss those two tours with Glenn Pocknall stepping in alongside assistants Graeme Aldridge and Thilan Samaraweera.
Gary Stead: Shane Bond Is Someone Who Always Adds Value
Gary Stead has utilised a fourth coach during past home summers such as Shane Bond’s stint in late 2019, but the role has also been employed for away tours to England and Sri Lanka as well as world events including the recent ICC ODI World Cup – where current batting coach Luke Ronchi was the fourth assistant.
“The fourth coach for me is an opportunity to bring in different voices to the environment and we’ve used it in a whole host of ways in the past. Shane is someone who always adds value and we’re delighted to have him on board,” said Stead.
Shane Bond played 18 Tests, 82 ODIs, and 20 T20Is for New Zealand in his playing days, enjoying plenty of success on the field despite persistent injuries. He will join Gary Stead, Shane Jurgensen, and Luke Ronchi as the coaching staff for the World Cup and India T20s.