John Wright to assist New Zealand ahead of Tests

John Wright, a prominent name doing the rounds for New Zealand's next coach, will work with the national side briefly ahead of the first Test against Pakistan. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan said that Wright, currently with the Invitation XI playing the touring Pakistanis in Queenstown, would pop in to be with the side.

"But there is nothing more to be read into it than that," Vaughan was quoted as saying by the Press. "He will be there helping out and before the game begins he will be heading off to continue his elite coaching work."

Wright had done a similar stint with New Zealand last year when West Indies played in Dunedin.

Vaughan said that NZC had spoken to the internationals to have returned from the limited-overs fixtures against Pakistan in the UAE ahead of zeroing in on a coach. "What was gratifying was that the feedback from the tour was resoundingly positive, which gave me a sense of assurance that we did not need to rush our decision," he said.

Vaughan was hopeful of deciding on a replacement by February, when Bangladesh visit ahead of Australia. "It is a matter of looking twofold, assessing what the team's needs are under the current environment and also what is sustainable into the future," he said.