New Zealand may appoint multiple coaches

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has said that the possibility of multiple coaches for the national team, for the game's different formats, is being looked into. This, he said, could be an option to help New Zealand get through a hectic international schedule more effectively.

"Whilst the team is touring and playing one form of the game, you must ensure other specialists are preparing [for other assignments] as well. South Africa do that, England do that and it is something we need to look at," White told the New Zealand Herald.

The demanding nature of the Future Tours Programme until 2020, he said, meant that the workload of support staff needed to be considered before making any decision. Apart from the tour of the West Indies, in the coming year New Zealand have tours of India, Sri Lanka and South Africa, the World Twenty20, back-to-back series with England, home and away, and then the Champions Trophy.

"It's tough enough for the players, but for the coaches and support staff it is tremendously challenging for them to be away from home, on the road that long, and to have just one role when you've got three distinct forms of the game."

Earlier this week, the current New Zealand coach, John Wright, confirmed that he will not be signing a new contract following the team's tour of the Caribbean. Wright cited differences with New Zealand's director of cricket, John Buchanan, as a factor that influenced his decision not to extend his contract.