Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has been unveiled as the Hobart Hurricanes new head of strategy, with Cricket Tasmania "thrilled" to announce luring the 'best T20 brain in the world'.
Ponting played eight matches for the Hurricanes across the two inaugural seasons of the BBL, saying the competition has changed enormously since then.
“The competition and the game itself have changed enormously from when I played for the Hurricanes back in BBL|01 and BBL|02, and I know so much more about the nuances of the T20 game now than I did then,” he said in a club statement on Thursday.
“I’m passionate about the progression of Tasmanian and Australian cricket across all forms of the game, so to be asked to take on such a critical role for the Hurricanes is really special.
💜 PUNTER’S IN PURPLE 💜
We’re excited to welcome Tasmania’s own Ricky Ponting back to the Hurricanes family 👨👦👦
Ricky has signed a three-year deal as the Hurricanes’ @BBL Head of Strategy.#TasmaniasTeam pic.twitter.com/oItPuIGGnS
— Hobart Hurricanes (@HurricanesBBL) June 9, 2022
“I’m looking forward to getting to work and securing the best coach for what we need then building a plan for the team to execute next season.
“With a few tweaks in a couple of key areas, I believe the Hurricanes have the foundations to win our first BBL trophy.”
Ponting has been a much sought-after coach in the BBL after previous white-ball coaching roles with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and as a coaching consultant with the Australian side, including during the 2019 World Cup.
“To be honest, I think Ricky probably just said ‘yes’ as he was sick of me hassling him to come and join us,” Baker said in a club statement on Thursday.
“But really, it is such a win for not only the Hurricanes and Tasmanian cricket, but for the League itself.
“In my mind, Ricky is undoubtedly the best T20 strategist in the world, and as a proud Tasmanian, we are thrilled to have him overseeing the direction of Tasmania’s team for at least the next three seasons.”
Interested to see if Ricky Ponting still commentates on Hobart Hurricanes games now he's their head of strategy #BBL
— Daniel Brettig 🏏 (@danbrettig) June 9, 2022