Cricket: Support staff victims of Wright axe

John Wright. Photo / Greg Bowker.

John Wright's axe has swung through the New Zealand team's support staff but manager Dave Currie remains at the helm.

The new head coach has been as good as his word and lean is in.

The highest profile of those gone include performance manager Roger Mortimer, bowling coach Shane Jurgensen and physiotherapist Kate Stalker.

Currie's position is decided by New Zealand Cricket and, although a controversial appointment, he provides an element of continuity in a rapidly changing national team environment.

The big mover is New South Welshman Trent Woodhill, who joined the group before the tour to Sri Lanka in mid-year. He goes from a relatively anonymous role as performance adviser to assistant coach.

However Woodhill, who has worked with the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League for the past couple of years, will miss the three T20 games against Pakistan due to illness.

Former test spinner Paul Wiseman and regional coach James Pamment, based in Tauranga, will assist for those three games.

There is no specialist bowling coach, and Dayle Shackel returns after a two-year absence to replace Stalker. Mark O'Donnell, the spare parts assistant in recent times, is also not on the roster, which consists of Currie, Wright, Woodhill, Shackel and fitness trainer Bryan Stronach.

NZ Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan confirmed this was Wright's handiwork. He has the people he wanted.

Others who join as and when required will include a doctor, security adviser and media official.

The glaring hole is a bowling specialist to replace Jurgensen.

"Whether John feels he needs another coach is something he will consider in the next five or six days," Vaughan said.

Both Stalker and Jurgensen are taking time off to consider their positions. Both could take places already within NZC's structure, Jurgensen within the high performance operation, Stalker essentially swapping with Shackel, who has been co-ordinating NZC's medical system outside the national team.

"If Kate wants to do Dayle's overseeing job we'd love to have her," Vaughan said.

Mortimer is to continue high performance strategy working from home and NZC's Christchurch headquarters.

Wiseman and another former test player, Matt Horne, have been appointed co-coaches of the New Zealand under 19 team through to the 2012 World Cup in Darwin.