Photo Credit: New Zealand Cricket
Mike Sandle is poised to reunite with the BLACKCAPS after accepting a position as the team’s Performance Manager.
Currently the chief executive of the Taranaki Rugby Football Union, Sandle will depart that organisation at the end of the current rugby season to join up with the side he previously managed from 2011 to 2021.
He will replace Simon Insley, who stepped down from the role earlier this year to take up a position with South Australia Cricket.
Sandle returns to the side with vast experience, having overseen six ICC men’s Cricket World Cup campaigns, including three World Cup Finals, along with the 2021 World Test Championship triumph in Southampton.
During his time with NZC he worked with three BLACKCAPS head coaches: John Wright, Mike Hesson, and the incumbent, Gary Stead, as the team lifted itself from the bottom reaches of the ICC rankings to the top in all three formats.
The role has since changed from an administrative, logistical, and diplomatic position to include a more performance-based element, something NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said fitted comfortably into Sandle’s skillset.
“Mike’s been immersed in high performance sport for more than 20 years, initially with Taranaki Rugby, then the Blues franchise, followed by the BLACKCAPS, before returning to Taranaki Rugby,” said Mr Weenink.
“We’re very happy with his understanding of the game and its demands on players, coaching staff, and selectors alike.
“There aren’t many people around with Mike’s mix of skills and we’re delighted to welcome him back.”
Sandle said he enjoyed his time with Taranaki Rugby and was grateful for the opportunity to work within a game, and province he loved.
“I want to thank the TRFU for all its support and encouragement,” he said. “I started my sport management career there in 2001 and to return as CEO was incredibly rewarding.
“Having said that, the decade I spent with NZC was unforgettable and the opportunity to work with Gary again and help our top cricketers across all three forms of the game was just too good to turn down.
“Returning to the BLACKCAPS set-up is hugely exciting – I can’t wait to join up with them and help contribute to their success.”
Sandle will begin his new assignment with NZC once Taranaki has finished its current NPC campaign, with a view to joining up with the BLACKCAPS during their Test tour of India.
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The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
