Amy Satterthwaite Appointed Head Coach of Canterbury, New Zealand’s Only Female Domestic Coach

Former New Zealand captain Amy Satterthwaite has been appointed as the head coach of Canterbury, making her the only female head coach of a domestic team in New Zealand for the upcoming summer. She succeeds Rhys Morgan, who held the position for six years and led the team to two Super Smash titles (2020-21 and 2022-23) and the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in 2020-21.

Satterthwaite returns to the team she played for in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in 2023. After retiring from international cricket in 2022, she served as the assistant coach for the Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL before retiring from New Zealand domestic cricket following the 2022-23 season. In December 2022, she was appointed as the female pathway lead at Canterbury.

As a player, Satterthwaite ended her career as Canterbury’s leading scorer, amassing a total of 5147 runs over two decades. Although she has since been surpassed by Frankie Mackay, Satterthwaite still tops the T20 charts with 2925 runs. Her international career included 145 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 111 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), and she is notably one of only two players, alongside Kumar Sangakkara, to have scored four consecutive ODI centuries.

Canterbury Men’s Coaching Changes

In related news, Brendon Donkers has been appointed head coach of the Canterbury men’s team, the defending champions of the Plunket Shield. Previously an assistant coach under Peter Fulton, Donkers took on the interim head coach role when Fulton departed for a position with Middlesex.

Heinrich Malan Returns to Central Districts

Heinrich Malan, who served as head coach for Ireland for four years, is set to return to coach Central Districts. He has signed a three-year contract starting this month, taking over from Greg Hay and Ben Smith, who managed the team during various formats of New Zealand domestic cricket. Malan has previously led Central Districts to titles in both the Plunket Shield and the Ford Trophy, as well as the 2019 Super Smash.

Expressing enthusiasm about his new role, Malan stated, “I’m looking forward to getting to know the newer faces there and there is huge satisfaction in putting those lads in a position where they can go out and showcase their skills and contribute.” He added that he is eager to engage hands-on in training at the domestic level this summer.

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Espn