WELLINGTON, July 24: John Bracewell has been reappointed as coach of the New Zealand cricket team until April 2009, vowing to improve the country’s mediocre performance in Tests.

The former New Zealand off-spinner has been coach of the national team since 2003, during which time the team has risen to third place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day rankings.

New Zealand were beaten in the semi-finals of the World Cup this year and have a record of 44 wins, 32 losses and six no results under Bracewell.

The team have been less successful in Test cricket, winning nine of 27 matches, losing 12, and drawing six for seventh place in the ICC rankings.

“We need to stabilise our game plan obviously in the one-day game, but we need to become a harder unit in Test cricket. We need to become more consistent,” Bracewell said on Tuesday, adding that New Zealand needed to beat some of the bigger international sides more often and rise above the middle ranks of world teams.

“It’s time to step up, but we’ve also got to solidify our depth and that’s the important part of the appointments of these high-performance coaches.”

The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Chief Executive Justin Vaughan said Bracewell had made good progress with the team.

“Recent changes to our high performance structure will see John and our elite players supported by a greater network of specialist coaches both on and off tour,” Vaughan said.

Former New Zealand captain and Indian coach John Wright has been appointed to a high performance coaching role.

“There are many areas in our high performance programme in which we can utilise Wright’s expertise and we are working through these with him to determine his exact role,” Vaughan said. “Wright will be part of our drive to build player depth and to enhance the skills of our elite players.”

Former first-class Australian player Mark O’Neill has been named as specialist batting coach and former New Zealand Test bowler Dayle Hadlee has been retained as the specialist bowling coach.

The make-up of the selection panel for the national team is being considered and Vaughan said Bracewell will lose the right to veto panel decisions. The panel currently consists of former Test players Sir Richard Hadlee, Dion Nash, Glenn Turner and Bracewell.

“We have decided to change the philosophy under which the selection panel makes decisions. This change in philosophy will see the panel move to consensus decisions.”—AFP