BJ Walting appointed as white ball head coach of Wellington Firebirds

Former New Zealand cricketer BJ Watling has been appointed as the white ball head coach of the Wellington Firebirds.

Cricket Wellington confirmed the appointment of the ex-Blackcaps wicketkeeping batsman. Toby Radford also signed a deal with Wellington as the specialist batting coach.

Watling and Radford will replace the former Wellington Firebirds men's coach Glenn Pocknall who has been in charge in all three formats of the game for the last three years.

The club also roped in Former Firebirds coach Bruce Edgar, who'll return as the director of cricket, and will coach the Plunket Shield, a first-class team.

This will be Watling's first major assignment as a coaching staff member after his retirement from international cricket last year in June after defeating India in the inaugural World Test Championship final. Since then, Watling has built a coaching career and worked as Northern Districts A coach over the past summer.

Watling was a mainstay of arguably the greatest-ever wicketkeeper batter of New Zealand test history. Still, time out of the spotlight has seen him adapt to a family role after more than 16 years as a professional cricketer. 

"I'm obviously pretty excited; this is a great opportunity for me and family," said  BJ Watling on his new job.

"I've played against the Firebirds a fair bit in my time, and, watching them over the past few seasons, I've certainly been impressed with the calibre of players they have, and they're starting to produce Black Caps regularly; now, which is exciting."

"This is my first head coach role at this level, so there'll be plenty of challenges which is good, and I'm looking forward to working with a very talented group."

"I know Bruce (Edgar) well, and he's a great coach with lots of experience, and I'll be leaning on him for support throughout the season; we've got a great support staff group, so I'm looking forward to working and learning from them."

Toby Radford now joins Cricket Wellington after completing his role as Head of High Performance at Bangladesh Cricket. 

Radford spent ten years as West Indies batting coach and assistant coach, winning the ICC T20 World Cup in 2012.

"I am delighted to be joining Cricket Wellington and looking forward to working with all the staff and players," said Toby Radford.

"I have long admired the professionalism and quality of New Zealand cricket and cricketers, and the opportunity for me to work with such a prestigious and successful side as the Wellington Firebirds excites me greatly."

"I can't wait to get out there to work with everyone in one of the best places around!"

Cricket Wellington CEO Cam Mitchell said he has no doubts that Watling will impact the province as a coach.

"We have no doubt that BJ will be a successful elite coach, and we are pleased to be able to help support his career development," Cam Mitchell said in a Cricket Wellington statement.

"His work ethic, strong values, and recent playing experience will be valuable for our young playing group, and his strong track record of success as a player shows what we are trying to achieve," he concluded.