Follow UsSA20 franchise Paarl Royals have named former Kiwi pacer Shane Bond as their new head coach for the upcoming season. Bond, who comes in with a wealth of coaching experience, replaces JP Duminy, who is now part of the South African setup as their batting coach.
Earlier in the month, Bond left his role as the pace-bowling coach at Mumbai Indians, a role he had successfully donned over seven years, with four titles between 2015 and 2020, to join Rajasthan Royals as the assistant coach and pace-bowling coach. This announcement aligns with the franchise's desire to have a core coaching staff around the globe.
Bond also was part of Mumbai’s sister franchise, MI Emirates, in the ILT20, with a wealth of experience around the globe. The pacer would now work closely with David Miller, with the franchise's ambition of winning the title, after reaching the semi-final in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
"It is a new challenge for me personally to be heading to the SA20, but what gives me the belief is the strong squad we have been able to assemble for the upcoming season," Bond said in a press release. "We have so much experience and immense potential in our ranks, which makes me excited to join the group in January and work towards achieving our target of lifting the trophy."
"The inaugural season provided us with a lot of learnings after our semi-final finish, and we believe that his experience, commitment and vision align well with our goals for the upcoming season,” said Royals’ director of cricket, Kumar Sangakkara.