Australian Ben Sawyer has been confirmed as new head coach of the White Ferns.
As reported by Newshub last month, Sawyer has inked a two-year deal to take the reins from Bob Carter, who stepped down after the White Ferns' disappointing performance at the World Cup on home soil earlier this year.
The 42-year-old was most recently an assistant under Matthew Mott with the world champion Australian women's team.
He's also head coach of the Sydney Sixers' Twenty20 Big Bash side and the Birmingham Phoenix in the English Hundred.
Sawyer will be tasked with guiding the team through a post-World Cup transitional phase, which has already seen the departure of Carter and some veteran players - including seamer Lea Tahuhu - who haven't had their contracts with NZ Cricket renewed.
"I can't wait to get stuck in," Sawyer said.
"I see a lot of potential in this White Ferns group and I feel really optimistic about helping to untap that potential, so they can take their cricket to the next level.
"It's certainly going to be a learning process, as I get to know the players and they get to know me and my cricket philosophies and coaching style."
Sawyer said his underlying remit was to work within the NZ Cricket high performance system and help the team focus on the right processes, individually and collectively, in order to achieve sustainable success.
"If you get the players making a priority of the processes and concentrating on the preparation and routines that improve and develop performance, then the outcomes tend to look after themselves," he said.
"That’s where consistency of performance comes from and that’s what we're seeking."
Under Carter, the White Ferns had nine wins and 20 losses in ODIs, and nine wins and 11 losses in T20s, while failing to reach the knockout phase of March's World Cup.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine said she was eager to see the impact of Sawyer's experience and the benefits of his fresh philosophies on her side.
"We're really looking forward to working with Ben and receiving the benefit of his experience," said Devine.
“He's been a key figure in the ongoing success of the Australian women's team and we hope we can tap into that bank of experience and grow together as a team."
NZC chief executive David White said Sawyer's appointment was unanimous within the voting panel and had received "strong support" from the players.
"Ben has good credentials, a lot of experience, and is well respected by his peers," White noted.
"He's very process-driven, which is important to us in terms of developing and realising the potential in our players."
On Monday, Sawyer joined the squad at their training camp at Tauranga's Bay Oval, where they're preparing for the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham and the subsequent tour to the West Indies.
