Cricket: And then there were four

Assistant coach Trent Woodhill is in the running. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand Cricket have invited a quartet of contenders for another round of interviews, writes Andrew Alderson.

Four candidates remain in contention to be the next New Zealand cricket coach.

The Herald on Sunday understands former Otago and Kenya coach Mike Hesson, former New South Wales and current Glamorgan coach Matthew Mott, former Indian and current South African mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton and current New Zealand and Delhi Daredevils assistant coach Trent Woodhill face another round of interviews this week.

The candidates have had two interviews and have undergone psychometric testing. The selection panel wants to confirm a candidate by July 25, which is understood to be close to the date of the next NZC board meeting. The proposed successor to John Wright could then be presented to the board for sign off.

The panel consists of New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White (the chairman), NZC director of cricket John Buchanan, NZC board member Rob Hart, New Zealand Cricket Players Association representative Stephen Fleming and High Performance Sport New Zealand chief executive Alex Baumann.

Wright's contract finishes in the first week of August after the West Indies tour.

Mike Hesson

Hesson recently returned from a brief stint coaching Kenya. He pulled out of because his family's safety was compromised. The 37-year-old was on the fringe of the Otago squad in the 1990s as an opening batsman behind the likes of Matt Horne and Mark Richardson.

Hesson spent 15 years coaching in Otago. He worked under the likes of Glenn Turner before being elevated to head coach in 2005-06. Hesson took the side to their first title in 20 years - the 2007-08 State Shield - and backed it up with the Twenty20 championship a year later. He brought South African-born fast bowler Neil Wagner and 2011 England cricketer of the year Jonathan Trott to the province. Hesson has coached New Zealand A on a number of tours.

Paddy Upton

Upton works as mental conditioning coach for South Africa. He was recruited by his business partner and current Proteas coach Gary Kirsten. The 43-year-old performed a similar role with Kirsten in India. He played two first class matches for Western Province, making a century on debut.

Upton's CV at paddyupton.com lists achievements such as sleeping in a tent for three months while working as a fishing guide on a remote Mozambique island; backpacking across South East Asia for six months on an $8 per day budget; and co-authoring the book, The Beer Drinkers' Guide to Losing Weight. He has been a critic of current playing schedules because of the mental fatigue involved.

Matthew Mott

Mott has the most first-class experience of the candidates having played 66 matches for Victoria and Queensland as a No3. The 38-year-old coached New South Wales to a Pura Cup (Sheffield Shield) title in his first season in charge in 2007-08, followed by a Big Bash Twenty20 title in 2008-09. He mentored them to the 2009 inaugural Champions League Twenty20 title in India. Mott spent four years in charge after three seasons as assistant to Trevor Bayliss.

Mott's record with Glamorgan is less successful. As a struggling county when he took them over in 2011 they finished mid-table across all competitions. They have slipped further so far this season. Mott was also assistant coach to John Buchanan when he ran the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

Trent Woodhill

Woodhill was recruited by New Zealand Cricket in July 2010 as the Black Caps' team performance analyst but became assistant coach when John Wright took control in December that year. The 41-year-old also assists at the Delhi Daredevils.

Woodhill is renowned for being well-organised. His fielding practices are an example. At the 2011 World Cup they were like watching a circus with Woodhill as ringmaster as players dived, caught and backed up in high-intensity drills. He turned New Zealand into arguably the best fielding side at the tournament.

Woodhill originally comes from New South Wales where he played first grade at Sydney's Sutherland club under his mentor, former New Zealand coach Steve Rixon.

He also took The Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh to titles as their coach between 2002-04.