JOHN BUCHANAN WANTS JOHN WRIGHT TO PICK THE CAPTAIN FOR NEW ZEALAND

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John Buchanan wants John Wright to pick the captain for the New Zealand team

Director of New Zealand Cricket, John Buchanan, has said that the coach of the national team John Wright should be the one to decide the new captain for the Black Caps.

Daniel Vettori decided to step down from Test captaincy after the home series against Pakistan earlier this year and relinquished the limited overs leadership after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Ross Taylor has been Vettori’s vice-captain since the last couple of years and is expected to take over the job but Wright seems to be in favour of the wicketkeeper/batsman Brendon McCullum.

Buchanan said that it is imperative for an international cricket team that the coach and the captain have a good relationship and this is the reason why Buchanan wants Wright to choose the captain.

He said, "If the coach and captain of a team don't get along then it's a recipe for disaster, so John needs to be very strong on who he wants there."

New Zealand cricket has faced torrid times since the last one year, facing disastrous defeats against Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Defeats against India and Pakistan might not have hurt them that much as both the subcontinent teams are major forces in international cricket but their loss against Bangladesh was alarming.

Kiwis faced a humiliation at the hands of Bangladesh when they were whitewashed in the One Day International series.

Buchanan who himself is a former coach of the Australia team feels that more and more power should be given to the coach.  He feels that the coach of a team is responsible for the performance and this is the reason why coaches should have a say in selection.

"Part of my role is very clear. I want to elevate the role of the coach. I believe an individual is accountable for the team performance yet doesn't have some of the key responsibilities that should go with that position of which selection is one," Buchanan added.

Let’s hope that Buchanan and Wright can change the fortunes of Kiwi cricket because New Zealand has been a very important team in international cricket over the years.

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John Buchanan lauds Duncan Fletcher’s coaching experience

Former Australian coach, John Buchanan, praised former England and South African coach, Duncan Fletcher’s, experience saying that he best suits to take up the Indian coaching post and may guide them better than his predecessor, Gary Kirsten.
"He's obviously got a pretty good track record on the international and county circuits, and he's got a pretty wide range of coaching experience", Buchanan said.
Buchanan, who is going to take over his new post as New Zealand’s director of coaching said that Fletcher has some similarities with the former Indian coach and holds plenty of coaching records. Earlier, Fletcher had brilliant coaching experience with the England team, guiding them to marvelous victories during 2000 to 2004.
The Zimbabwean born has been named as India’s new coach after Kirsten’s removal from the position on Wednesday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, N Srinivasan, revealed that Fletcher has been appointed for two years to coach the Indian team.
Fetcher was chosen from the lists of candidates which included former New Zealand player, Stephen Fleming, and Zimbabwean, Andy Flower.
Indians had some special memories with their former South Africa-born coach, Kirsten, who helped them clinch the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011 title.
Despite having no prior coaching experience, Kirsten proved to be the most successful coach for India. During his three-year tenure, a considerable improvement was seen in all areas of Indian cricket including batting, bowling, and fielding.
He also helped the team in posting them at the top in the ICC Test rankings. In addition, the batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, and pacer, Zaheer Khan, also restored their form during his tenure.
With such achievements under their previous coach, the Indian team would now be expecting Fletcher to guide them in a similar manner so that they can maintain their form, taking on the hectic schedule ahead of them.
The new coach will start off his duties with the Indian’s tour of West Indies which will start in June. The tour includes a Twenty20, five One-Day Internationals and three Tests.
Following the West Indies tour, the Indian team’s hectic schedule would continue as they are next scheduled to start a longer tour of England which includes four Tests, a Twenty20 and five ODIs.

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John Wright upbeat about New Zealand Cricket future

New Zealand coach, John Wright, believes that his team has the depth and talent to re-emerge, as more than a threat at the international level following an impressive World Cup show.

The perennial ‘semi-finalists’ made it to the last four of the recently concluded tournament against all odds. There performance was great when put into perspective of the fact that they had a wretched run leading up to the tournament and that they were the only team besides the three Asian giants to make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Wright, who had a successful stint at the helm of the Indian team a few years ago, took charge of the Kiwis two months before the World Cup, and oversaw Test and One Day International (ODI) series losses against Pakistan.

The Kiwis were ranked outsiders for the showpiece International Cricket Council (ICC) event, yet surprised everyone by reaching the last four, brushing aside pre-tournament favourites, South Africa, in a dramatic quarter-final in Bangladesh.

"Losing the semi-final was bitterly disappointing but I hope the team has learnt", Wright said. "I think it has grown. What's important is that we just played as hard as we could with what we had, with the resources we had. Seeing a team start to believe in themselves and in each other. The fight they showed tells you the team can get better. We have the opportunities at this stage to get better".

There has been another major appointment in New Zealand Cricket (NZC) set-up, as the Board has hired the services of former Australian coach, John Buchanan.

Speaking last week, before the appointment of John Buchanan, as the Director of Cricket, Wright chose not to comment on his role and whether he would have influence on matters pertaining to the team that Wright would take to the field in the months ahead.

The Kiwis have some top class cricket on their way. They are set to travel to Australia at the end of the years and follow that up by hosting South Africa next season.

Besides these two major assignments they are also set to encounter lowly ranked Zimbabwe and West Indies in early 2012.

Meanwhile, Wright is impressed with the talent that is at his disposal in New Zealand he thinks that the future of the game is bright with many youngsters knocking on the door of international cricket.

The former captain and opening batsman has signed a two-year stint as NZC's high performance manager and he thinks that the next generation of New Zealand cricket have the talent, will, and, determination to make it big when their time comes.

"We have got maybe five or six kids that really show a lot of potential", he said. "I have been really impressed with some of the talent I have seen in the last couple of years in under-17 and under-19 tournaments. I know that as long as we can put a playing programme in place that challenges the guys coming through and bridges the gap between first-class and international cricket, the ones that really want to make it, we could hopefully hold our own".

Besides Buchanan and Wright, New Zealand Cricket, has also hired the services of legendary South African fast bowler, Allan Donald. Donald was with the team at the World Cup and started his stint at the beginning of the ODI series against Pakistan earlier in the year.

These three stalwarts are expected to bring improvement to New Zealand and make them a real force, which they have threatened to be for a long time.

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JOHN BUCHANAN LIKELY TO BECOME NEW ZEALAND’S DIRECTOR OF CRICKET

Former Australian coach John Buchanan is expected to become the Director of Cricket of New Zealand. According to reports, Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Cricket Board, Justin Vaughn is in talks with Buchanan for the important post in order to boost the sport.

Buchanan became popular while he was the coach of the Australian team from 1999 until the ICC World Cup 2007 held in the Caribbean. He is considered as the most successful coach in the history of the game, as the Australian team became invincible during his tenure. He helped the Kangaroos win three World Cups on the trot.

Vaughn confirmed the news and said that Buchanan has an extremely impressive track record and New Zealand cricket officials are in talks with him. The CEO stated that he is considering some other big names as well, which cannot be disclosed at the moment. However, a name will be shortlisted until the coming Friday.

"I can certainly confirm we've met with John. He's got great credentials for the role but we've spoken to a few candidates and ultimately there will be a recommendation made to the New Zealand Cricket board on Friday," Vaughn said.

New Zealand cricket has gone through turmoil since the last year as they faced humiliating defeats against Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in limited overs cricket as well as the longer version of the game. The worst defeat came against Bangladesh when the minnows whitewashed them and won the One Day International series by 4-0.

However, the Black Caps did a better job in the ICC World Cup 2011 as they reached the semi-final stage of the showpiece event.

Buchanan called it a day from the post of the Australian coach after the ICC World Cup 2007 and since then the Aussies have struggled in international cricket and are no more the best team of the world.

New Zealand cricket officials will be hoping that a big name like Buchanan can change the fortunes of the Kiwi team and that they can become a force in international cricket in the years to come.

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