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Former New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter BJ Watling is set to replace Luke Ronchi as the Black Caps batting coach after the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 Test series against India in early December, as per the ICC website.
Watling will join the support staff on November 16 and work alongside Ronchi during a transition period before taking over the role when New Zealand travel to Australia for a four-match Test series. Watling brings hefty international experience to the role. He scored 3,790 Test runs in 75 Tests, including eight centuries and 19 fifties. Watling scored nearly 3,400 of his Test runs as a wicketkeeper, the most by any New Zealander in the role. His 265 dismissals behind the stumps also remain a national record, well ahead of Adam Parores 201. He retired from international cricket in 2021 after helping the Blackcaps win the inaugural World Test Championship title against India. Watling said he was excited to return to the New Zealand setup and work with the current group. He praised the team and support staff for their achievements in recent years and said he looked forward to contributing to the side. Im incredibly excited. To come back into the team and work with this current group is a special opportunity and one I dont take lightly. What this side and the support staff have achieved together over recent years has been remarkable, so Im looking forward to contributing to a world-class side, he said as quoted by the ICC website. New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham praised Watlings effort and determination and added that his attitude as a player would likely carry into his coaching style. BJ is a guy who personified what it means to be a BLACKCAP, so having someone like him come back into the group will be great for our environment. There was never any doubt about his effort and determination every time he stepped onto the field, and Im sure that same attitude will translate in his coaching style, he said. (ANI)
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