Trent Johnston appointed NSW interim head coach

Former Ireland captain Trent Johnston has been appointed interim head coach of New South Wales following the departure of Trevor Bayliss to England.

Johnston, 41, has been an assistant coach at the Blues for the past nine months, and also worked with the youth "Pathways" squad. "It's a fantastic opportunity for me to taste what it's like to be head coach of this great organisation", he said. "We are currently in pre-season, and it's my job to prepare the squad for the upcoming season."

Johnston is also expected to be a candidate for the job when NSW appoint a full-time head coach. Hailing from Wollongong, Johnston played five first-class games for the state between 1998 and 2000, before moving to Ireland for whom he qualified to play through marriage.

He played 97 international matches for Ireland, captaining them to their first World Cup appearance in 2007, where they claimed notable wins over Pakistan and Bangladesh.

At the time of his appointment last summer, NSW cricket manager David Moore said, "Trent has an outstanding cricketing background and as a former Blue who has played cricket around the world with Ireland, he will bring a great deal of experience and knowledge to our coaching set-up.

"He was a hard-working cricketer who made the most of his abilities and he will bring those qualities to Cricket NSW. We are confident that he will be an invaluable addition to our current group of coaches."

Johnston took up coaching towards the end of his playing career and led Leinster Lightning to four trophies in his two seasons in charge of the Irish province. He also coached the Ireland women's team at the World T20 and to an excellent victory over Pakistan.