Heinrich Malan appointed as Auckland Aces Head Coach

Monday 29 April 2019

The Auckland Aces will have a new face at the helm for the upcoming season after appointing Heinrich Malan as Head Coach.

The 38 year-old Malan has a proven track record on the New Zealand domestic circuit, having previously coached Central Districts to three national titles, including the past summer’s Burger King Super Smash and Plunket Shield competitions.

Well regarded for his ability in developing domestic players into internationals, he has also coached New Zealand A for the past two seasons and last summer acted as the BLACKCAPS’ stand-in batting coach during the ODI series against Bangladesh.

Auckland Cricket chief executive Iain Laxon said Malan’s track record and vision for the Aces were key factors in his appointment.

“Heinrich impressed the selection panel with his vision of how he intends to take the Aces and entire High Performance department forward, and build on the positive culture that already exists,” said Mr Laxon.

“He’s already had considerable success on the New Zealand domestic scene, and we look forward to him bringing that ability into the Auckland environment.”

Malan is relishing the opportunity to work with some of the brightest young talent in the country.

“It’s a great opportunity to work with an exciting squad that has shown some real potential over the past few seasons,” he said.

“I am looking forward to getting started, and meeting players and staff individually from next week, to work on putting our plans and processes in place.”

Malan takes over from Mark O’Donnell who has been in charge for the last four years, in addition to a previous seven-year stint with the Aces.

Auckland Cricket wishes to acknowledge the valuable contribution O'Donnell made to the Aces in that time, and to wish him every success in the future.

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