Former star all-rounder Andre Adams has been named the bowling coach for the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand men's cricket team for their upcoming five-match T20I series against Pakistan. His appointment follows Shane Jurgensen's departure after the 2023 ODI World Cup. Adams, a former player with one Test, 42 ODIs, and four T20Is for New Zealand, comes with a substantial amount of experience.
His coaching credentials include a notable period with the Australian domestic team New South Wales, where he played a key role in Mitchell Starc's return to form in 2019. He has also been part of the coaching staff for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL) and worked with Auckland, aiding in Lockie Ferguson's development. Most recently, Adams was the fast bowling coach for the New Zealand women's team during their limited-overs tour in South Africa from September to October of the previous year.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced that Andre Adams will be joining head coach Gary Stead's coaching staff, alongside regular batting coach Luke Ronchi. Adams is set to begin his tenure with the New Zealand men's team in Auckland, where the T20I series against Pakistan is scheduled to start on January 12 at Eden Park. The series will subsequently move to Hamilton and Dunedin for the second and third matches and will wrap up in Christchurch with the final two T20Is.
Throughout the series, Chris Donaldson, the strength and conditioning coach for New Zealand, and Simon Insley, the team's performance manager, will be taking a leave. In their absence, Matt Long, the head of athlete development at Cricket Wellington, and Dave Meiring, the high-performance manager at Central Districts, will be stepping in to cover their roles respectively.
Over a five-year span, Adams represented New Zealand in one Test, 42 ODIs, and four T20Is. His career also included successful periods in the English county scene with Nottinghamshire, Hampshire, and Essex, culminating in his retirement in 2015. During the 2006-07 domestic season with Auckland, he performed impressively, securing 32 wickets at an average of 18.78 in New Zealand's domestic first-class State Championship and scoring 318 runs at an average of 39.75. Despite these achievements, his season was marred by a one-month suspension for an incident where he grabbed and shook the helmet of Central Districts batsman Bevan Griggs.
Andre Adams' interim coaching role presents a valuable chance for him to play a pivotal part in the success of the New Zealand cricket team, especially in the fast-moving and energetic T20 format of international cricket.
New Zealand T20I squad: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
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