Jaques to be named NSW coach: reports

Cricket NSW is set to announce Phil Jaques as the Blues new head coach on Monday, according to reports.

News Ltd is reporting Jaques will be named as Trent Johnston's replacement on Monday after former Australia gloveman and fellow head coach candidate Brad Haddin withdrew his application on Friday night.

A Cricket NSW spokesperson told cricket.com.au that a final decision on the Blues head coach is yet be made, with an announcement expected early next week.

Haddin is currently in Brisbane in his role as assistant coach for the Australian men's cricket team, which starts a three-day training camp under new coach Justin Langer today. 

Jaques has acted as an assistant coach at NSW for the past year since leaving his post as Queensland head coach after two seasons.

The 39-year-old played 11 Tests and scored three centuries for Australia between December 2005 and June 2008.

He played 76 Sheffield Shield matches for NSW, scoring 5581 runs, 14 hundreds with a top score of 240 not out.

The Blues' search for a new head coach comes after they parted ways with former mentor Johnston after three years in March.

NSW finished third in the JLT Sheffield Shield during Johnston's first summer in charge, slipped to fourth the following summer and narrowly avoided the wooden spoon in the season just completed, despite having won their first three games with the nation's Test stars in the side.

The side then failed to win any of their final seven matches of the 2017-18 JLT Sheffield Shield, and the former powerhouse of Australian cricket has just one first-class title in the past decade.

Cricket NSW Chief Executive Andrew Jones confirmed the underperformance in Shield results had led to the split.

"Trent has worked diligently with the team over the past three years and has two state one-day competition titles to his credit," Jones said.

"Unfortunately the results collectively and individually in the Sheffield Shield have been below expectations."