Shane Bond set to join New Zealand's coaching set-up
Former speedster Shane Bond is set to join the New Zealand coaching set-up for the upcoming T20 World Cup and the T20Is in India which follow the tournament. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) informed about the development on Tuesday. Bond will work with head coach Gary Stead, batting coach Luke Ronchi, and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen. Here are further details.
Gary Stead welcomes Bond
"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," Stead said. "He'll be an extra set of hands especially around the bowlers, working with the spin and the pace bowlers and developing their plans."
A look at his career
Bond is one of the greatest fast bowlers from New Zealand. As per experts, he remains New Zealand's most lethal pacer since Sir Richard Hadlee. In a brief career that was marred by several injuries, Bond took 87 wickets from just 18 Tests at an average of 22.09. He also scalped 147 wickets in 82 ODIs with a best haul of 6/19.
Bond has coached several sides
Bond has plenty of experience as a coach (both domestic and international cricket). He has worked with Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, as well as the New Zealand national side (in past). Earlier this year, Bond stepped down as the coach of Sydney Thunder. He has been working with NZ men's and women's squads lately.
Bond helped Jasprit Bumrah in his early days
Bond is often credited for shaping the career of India's premier seamer, Jasprit Bumrah. The former helped Bumrah hone his skills at the Mumbai Indians camp in the 2015 Indian Premier League. The Indian fast bowler is making waves with his quirky action these days.
New Zealand have announced their squad for T20 WC
New Zealand were the first side to announce their squad for the T20 World Cup, last week. They are set to tour Bangladesh and Pakistan as a lead-up to the mega tournament. However, NZ will be without their marquee players, who will be in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the IPL. Notably, Stead will also miss the two tours.
