New Zealand part ways with coach Sawyer ahead of Aussie tour

New Zealand have parted ways with head coach Ben Sawyer ahead of next month's T20I series against Australia.

Australian Sawyer, who was an assistant coach with the Australia women's team before taking up the White Ferns role in mid-2022, has departed after four years at the helm.

He was due to be in the role until December 2026, but his contract was not renewed following a review of New Zealand Cricket's women's high-performance structure, with Sawyer finishing up effective immediately.

It is the latest shift in a period of major change for the White Ferns after three legends of the game – Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu – all retired at the end of the T20 World Cup in England in July.

"Being the White Ferns coach has been a huge honour and I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this group," Sawyer said in a statement.

"This team means a lot to me and I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in the past four years.

"Although I’m disappointed to be leaving, I want to wish the team and NZC all the best."

The NZC review also concluded the need for the introduction of a women's 'performance lead' role, meaning the White Ferns manager role, held by Rachel Pettit, was disestablished.

An interim head coach and team manager will travel to Australia for next month's three T20Is at North Sydney Oval, with recruitment for Sawyer's full-time replacement and performance lead to commence shortly.

New Zealand will then feature in February's inaugural T20 Champions Trophy in India, before returning to Australia for three ODIs in early March.

The White Ferns T20 squad to travel to Australia, which is set to feature a host of new faces following the retirements of Devine, Bates and Tahuhu, is set to be named in early October.

Sawyer was appointed in mid-2022, replacing Bob Carter after the White Ferns failed to make the semi-finals of their home ODI World Cup.

He struck immediate success, as New Zealand claimed the bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in his first major series in charge of the team.

In 2024, Sawyer oversaw the White Ferns' breakthrough first T20 World Cup title, as they overcome South Africa in the final in Dubai.

They were unable to repeat that success at the two most recent ICC events, however, with New Zealand missing the semi-finals of the 2025 ODI World Cup, and failing to make the knockouts of the recent T20 tournament despite being favoured to advance in what was considered the weaker of the two groups, thanks to defeats to West Indies, Sri Lanka and England in the round stage.

NZ Cricket’s Chief High Performance Cricket Officer Daryl Gibson said the White Ferns had entered a "natural transition" phase.

"Ben’s overseen a period of considerable change and progression for the White Ferns and we’re deeply appreciative of the commitment, professionalism and time he invested in the women’s game.

"It was a difficult decision which was not made lightly, but it reflects our view that the next stage of the White Ferns journey requires a different leadership approach to support the future direction of the programme."

Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry, who worked closely with Sawyer during his time with Australia and the Sydney Sixers, was among those to praise her former mentor following the news of his departure, hailing "an amazing contribution and set of achievements" on social media.

White Ferns captain Amelia Kerr said: "We’re hugely grateful for Ben and everything he’s put into this team.

"His preparation was second to none, he poured his heart and soul into the role and left no stone unturned trying to make the team better.

"Ben played a huge part in a defining moment for women’s cricket in New Zealand. He showed a belief in us that helped propel the team to World Cup victory after a difficult few months and that’s a testament to his character and leadership."

NRMA Insurance Women's T20 Series v New Zealand 

First T20I: Sunday, October 18

Second T20I: Tuesday, October 20

Third T20I: Thursday, October 22

* All matches played at North Sydney Oval starting at 7:15pm AEDT

NRMA Insurance Women's ODI Series v New Zealand 

First ODI: Saturday, March 6, Manuka Oval, Canberra, 2:50pm AEDT (D/N)

Second ODI: Monday, March 8, Junction Oval, Melbourne, 2:50pm AEDT (D/N)

Third ODI: Wednesday, March 10, Junction Oval, Melbourne, 10:05am AEDT

All women's international matches will be shown live on Seven, 7Plus, Kayo Sports and Foxtel