Black Caps great BJ Watling has been named the new Wellington Firebirds white ball Head Coach.
The 36-year-old played 75 Tests for New Zealand throughout his career before retiring following the Black Caps' victory over India in the World Championship final last year.
Leading the Firebirds will be his first big head coaching gig after working with the Northern Districts A team.
“When the opportunity popped up, I was pretty excited to take it. It’s a completely different role to playing but I’ve been planning for this," Watling said.
"It’s always been on the backburner and once I retired, I started to dive in a bit more."
He will also join new specialist batting coach Toby Radford and Bruce Edgar as support coaches for the Firebirds in red ball cricket.
“I know I’ll get preparation time with Bruce and Toby. They’re two very experienced coaches that I can lean on throughout the season.”
Watling said he was looking forward to moving to a new environment.
"Connecting with the playing group and staff will be my first priority and just trying to find my feet in Wellington."
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