New Zealand’s assistant coaches Luke Ronchi and Jacob Oram have been granted permission to coach Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) starting later this month.
Which means both the former Kiwi cricketers will miss the upcoming international assignments against South Africa and Bangladesh, which will take place during the PSL. Ronchi is the head coach of the Islamabad franchise, while Oram will serve as his assistant.
New Zealand performance manager Mike Sandle said their decision to let them go for the PSL is going to be beneficial in the long run.
“This is a great chance for Luke and Jake to further their coaching experience and grow their skills outside of the New Zealand cricket environment,” NZC.NZ quoted Sandle as saying.
“Just like our players, our coaches are in demand around the world and we believe Luke and Jake will not only personally benefit from their time at the PSL, but they will also be able to bring back knowledge and IP that can aid the Black Caps and NZC [New Zealand Cricket] in the future,” he added.
Sandle also informed that in the absence of Ronchi and Oram, who are the replacements for the upcoming international challenges, to assist head coach Rob Walter.
“One of the added bonuses of Luke and Jake heading to the PSL is the opportunity it affords other coaches in the NZC network,” Sandle said.
“It will be great to have Jonny [Bassett-Graham for SA series], Graeme [ Aldridge for SA series], and Brendon [Donkers for Bangladesh series] join the Black Caps and I’m sure they will get a lot out of their time in the environment and the experience of working alongside our players and support staff.
“Their involvement will naturally help strengthen our high-performance coaching depth, and we hope the coaches themselves will be able to take back some of what they’ve learned to benefit the domestic set-ups,” he said.
The Kiwis take on South Africa in the first of five T20Is at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday. This means New Zealand return to cricketing action real quick, having lost to India in the T20 World Cup final just this past Sunday at Ahmedabad. They had beaten South Africa in the semis, and the upcoming rubber gives the Proteas a big chance to avenge their humiliating defeat earlier this month.