Adam Voges appointed Australia A coach for New Zealand series
Aug 03, 2023
Sydney [Australia], August 3 : Adam Voges will coach Australia A against New Zealand A later this month, bringing his experience of back-to-back domestic trebles with Western Australia and Perth Scorchers.
Australia A will host New Zealand A in two four-day games, including a day-night pink ball match, and three 50-over matches in Queensland in August and September, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Australia A toured New Zealand in April for two four-day games, and a return series has been locked in for August and September in Brisbane and Mackay in Queensland.
Both teams are yet to be announced. Voges will lead a coaching staff with former Australia captain Tim Paine, as well as former Sri Lanka batter Thilan Samaraweera.
"I see it as an opportunity. I love my job here in Perth. I'm really grateful for the opportunity I get here [in WA]. I'd love to continue to develop and grow and learn as much as I can as a coach and this opportunity gives me another chance to do that. So that's probably how I see it," Voges told ESPNcricinfo.
"Probably a bit of a surprise, to be honest. It certainly wasn't something that was on the radar, but the opportunity and the timing of the series being on the eve of the domestic summer worked out well," he told cricket.com.au.
"I'll enjoy the three-and-a-half weeks that I get with [the Australia A] program and then run or charge full steam into our domestic season. So they're the priorities at the moment. I'm always looking to just keep learning and growing in the role," he added.
Voges has spoken to current Australia coach Andrew McDonald about maintaining some continuity in terms of the environment and messaging to players between the national team and the A side, but McDonald has given him the latitude to create the best environment he thinks suitable for the series.
"He's pretty happy for me to take the lead on that. Albeit I'm certainly mindful of trying to keep those messages as similar as possible. So that gives us a bit of a guide as to what it can potentially look like, and I'll probably touch base again between now and then but appreciate he's been pretty busy over the last couple of months," Voges said.
