Gavin Larsen has decided to step down as New Zealand Cricket selector to take on the role of Performance Director at the Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC).
Larsen will move to England with his wife Karen and will be based out of the WCCC’s headquarters at Edgbaston, overseeing the county’s men’s and women’s high-performance programmes.
A former New Zealand Test and ODI player, Larsen was the chief executive of Cricket Wellington, and the Cricket Operations Manager ahead of the 2015 World Cup, before being appointed Blackcaps selection manager in 2015.
In the subsequent years, the Blackcaps have played in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Final and the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup Final; have won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship and have, at different times, been ranked as the world’s No.1 team in each of the three formats.
Larsen said he was extremely grateful to NZC for the opportunity to work alongside the Blackcaps’ two most successful coaches, first Mike Hesson, and then Gary Stead.
“The past seven and a half years have just flown by and I’ve relished and enjoyed every minute of it,” Larsen said in an official statement released by NZC.
“The discussions and deliberations have always been robust and challenging but my enduring memory will always be the quality of the people I’ve worked with – from high performance right through to the administration. The relationships with everyone: Major Association coaches, Blackcaps support staff, the players, and the team at NZC, have always been underpinned by a real sense of trust and goodwill. I’ve had the time of my life,” he added.
Larsen said the new role at Edgbaston represented a new chapter in his career.
“I’m excited and thrilled to be joining Warwickshire. WCCC is a club with an amazing history and tradition and I’m looking forward to joining the team and helping to drive the club’s ongoing success. I have a number of great memories of playing at Edgbaston during my New Zealand playing days and the atmosphere was simply terrific,” Larsen said.
NZC’s GM High-Performance Bryan Stronach said Larsen could look back with pride on a highly successful term as the Blackcaps selection manager.
“Gavin was part of a support team that made a key contribution to arguably the most successful period in the history of the New Zealand men’s team,” said Stronach.
“His appointment at Edgbaston reflects the respect in which he’s held around the cricketing world. We thank him for his years of service to NZC and congratulate him for being appointed to such a significant role with Warwickshire,” Stronach added.
Stronach said the process to find a replacement for Larsen would commence in due course. (ANI)
