Daniel Vettori, Andre Borovec named Australia's assistant coaches: Details here
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has been appointed the assistant coach of the Australia men's cricket team. He will work alongside his compatriot Andre Borovec, a former Victoria wicket-keeper. The duo will join the coaching staff ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka, starting in June. Notably, Vettori was also with the Australian side during the Pakistan tour earlier this year.
'A very strong and unified group', says Vettori
On his appointment, Vettori lavished praise on the Australian side that toured Pakistan. "I was really impressed with what I saw of the group in Pakistan in the way they approached preparation, planning and playing," he said. "It's a very strong and unified group which has the potential to have a very rewarding and hopefully successful period ahead."
A look at Vettori's coaching stints
This is not the first time Vettori has ventured into coaching. He was previously a spin-bowling consultant with Bangladesh. The former New Zealand all-rounder was also the head coach of Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL), Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and Middlesex in the Vitality Blast.
One of New Zealand's greatest all-rounders
Vettori is one of New Zealand's greatest all-rounders across formats. The Kiwi veteran made 113 Test appearances, registering 4,531 runs and six hundreds. He owns the second-most wickets for NZ in Tests (362). Across 295 ODIs, Vettori racked up 2,253 runs and pocketed 305 wickets at 31.71 (eight four-fers and two five-fers). In 34 T20Is, the left-arm spinner affected 38 dismissals at 19.68.
Vettori was appointed Birmingham Phoenix head coach
Last month, Vettori was appointed the head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix (men's team) in The Hundred, UK's 100-ball competition. The decision came following Andrew McDonald's appointment as a full-time head coach for the Australia men's cricket team. McDonald had held the position for the Phoenix in the inaugural edition in 2021. Phoenix finished as the runners-up in The Hundred.
What about Borovec?
Borovec has no experience of playing on the international level. However, he has served as a high-performance coach for several domestic teams in the past. The 44-year-old has worked in the Victoria and Melbourne Renegades setups.
Other members of Australia's coaching staff
Andrew McDonald had overtaken Justin Langer as Australia's head coach. Meanwhile, Michael Di Venuto is their full-time batting coach. As per ESPNcricinfo, he could fill in for McDonald for the white-ball assignments when required. In the Sri Lanka limited-overs series, McDonald, Di Venuto, spin-bowling coach Sri Sriram, and former Australian speedster Clint McKay will coach the squads (T20I and ODI).
