Mascarenhas appointed New Zealand bowling coach

Wellington, June 7 (IANS) Former England all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas on Sunday was appointed to the position of New Zealand bowling coach on a full-time basis.

Appointed in an interim role following the departure of Kiwi bowing great Shane Bond in April 2015, Mascarenhas has been retained on a two-year contract after impressing during the recently completed Test series in England.

According to NZ cricket official website, head of cricket Lindsay Crocker, who was in England for the Test series, said feedback from the Black Caps on Mascarenhas’ performance had been overwhelmingly positive, leading to an offer to fill the role full-time.

"Dimitri has impressed in the short time he’s been with the Black Caps and we’re delighted he’s accepted the offer to continue working with the side," Crocker said.

"Both coach Mike Hesson and captain Brendon McCullum have been pleased with his contribution on the tour and have watched him develop excellent working relationships with the bowling group."

The 37-year-old Mascarenhas, who played 20 One-Day-Internationals (ODI) and 14 Twenty20 International for England, said he couldn’t wait to throw himself into the challenge full-time.