Cricket: Woodhill considers stepping up

Trent Woodhill. Photo / Getty Images.

Assistant Trent Woodhill wants to continue with the New Zealand cricket side and will decide in the next 24 hours whether that means taking over from outgoing New Zealand cricket coach John Wright.

The upcoming series against the West Indies, which starts with a Twenty20 international in Florida on Sunday morning (NZT), will be Wright's last in charge before he steps aside. He controversially turned down an offer to continue in the role, largely because of differences with high performance director John Buchanan.

Woodhill joined Wright as a specialist coach before the Sri Lankan tri-series in August 2010 and will speak with Wright and captain Ross Taylor about whether they think he should apply. Applications close on Friday.

"I'm not sure," Woodhill said from Florida where New Zealand take on the West Indies in the first of two Twenty20 internationals on Sunday. "I haven't applied yet, which doesn't mean I won't, I am just working through things at the moment.

"I have pledged my allegiance to New Zealand cricket and I want New Zealand cricket to succeed with a view to the Black Caps winning the 2015 World Cup. I'm happy to do whatever is best to make sure we improve, that we don't plateau, and I would like to think I have played a part over the last two years in seeing the side develop. I would love to continue on. In what role, I'm not sure yet.

"I think I am ready [for the head coach role]. I have spent so much time now around elite cricketers over the last six or seven years. I had a major role with Delhi [as their batting and fielding coach] this year and we went from last to first in the regular season [of the IPL] and I have a fairly hands-on role with this team so I think it would be a natural transition."

New Zealand Cricket have signalled they could implement an interim coach for August's tour to India as well as the Twenty20 World Cup, with Woodhill looming as a possible candidate. It suggests NZC are willing to take their time to find the right coach and politics could play a role in the appointment given the apparent Australianisation of New Zealand Cricket.

NZC have decided they will appoint one coach for all three teams - test, one-dayers and Twenty20 - rather than spread the load.

They are reportedly keen on the South African model with an overarching coach, and Paddy Upton, who is the current mental conditioning coach of the South Africa cricket team under Gary Kirsten, is a target.

New Zealand-based coaches Jamie Siddons and Mike Hesson are other possibilities, with Siddons' experience with Bangladesh and close ties to Buchanan giving him an advantage.

Former Australian international Stuart Law has also been linked with the position after he recently quit as Bangladesh coach but has since taken up a role with Australia's Centre of Excellence.

One of the biggest things to consider for Woodhill is the time commitment. New Zealand have a heavy programme over the next 13 months with tours of India and South Africa, the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and home-and-away series with England.

While he wants to be involved in some capacity, he's not sure if that's as head coach.

"It's a massive commitment," he said. "The next 13 months, you're home for literally 10 days.

"The role of head coach these days isn't just to do trainings and pre-match talks. It's also selection, administration, managerial and media component. Those are things I am comfortable doing but I just want to make sure that if I apply it's to win the role and do a good job, not just to tick a box and throw my hat in the ring."