New Zealand batting coach Peter Fulton on Thursday stepped down from the position to take up the role as head coach of the Canterbury men's team. Fulton was appointed to the national post in August 2019 and travelled with the team to Sri Lanka and Australia as well as working on home tours against England and India. He will begin his role with Canterbury Cricket on August 1.Fulton said it was an honour to be involved with the national team but the opportunity at Canterbury Cricket appealed to him.
"It's been an honour to get back involved with the national team and I'd like to thank the players and staff for making me feel so welcome. The Canterbury role appealed to me in terms of my aspirations to be a head coach and further my development in the game," New Zealand Cricket's official website quoted Fulton as saying.
"The chance to spend more time at home with my young family and coach my home province were also motivating factors in applying for the job. I've still got a month to run on my contract and look forward to seeing the team at the upcoming winter camps as we return to cricket,'' he added.
NZC GM High-Performance Bryan Stronach congratulated Fulton over the appointment and wished him well.
"Pete's a respected figure who has contributed a lot to the BLACKCAPS set-up and built strong relationships in his time with the team. He's carved an impressive pathway as a coach, from the New Zealand Under 19s to the winter training squads and now moving into a head coach role, which we're fully supportive of," he said.
"With the BLACKCAPS entering a winter period at home we'll take some time to consider our options in terms of a replacement for Pete," Stronach added.