Wellington [New Zealand], August 8 (ANI): Former New Zealand women's head coach Bob Carter is stepping away from his role as the high-performance coach after an illustrious 21-year career.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) released a statement on Friday to confirm Carter's departure, who joined the board as the assistant Blackcaps coach in 2004. Carter, who was born in Norfolk in east England, played 60 first-class and 55 List-A matches for Northamptonshire and Canterbury before beginning his stint in coaching.

'I feel like I've lived the dream. I've very much enjoyed offering support and contributing, and if that's helped players or teams go on and achieve success, then that's terrific - I'm delighted,' he said, reflecting on the teams and players he'd worked with over the past twenty years, as quoted from a statement by NZC.

During his tenure, Carter served as the assistant to John Bracewell's 2004-2009 men's team, the assistant to Mike Hesson from 2012 to 14 Blackcaps, and the White Ferns head coach in the 2020 T20 World Cup and during the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

'But I think what's worked best at NZC has been the combinations, the teamwork, and the cooperation. We've been able to create sides that have been greater than their sum of parts, and that's a key ingredient in team sport. Sure, the individual performance is important, but it's the collective that has the greater potential. That's where the magic is,' he added.

The 65-year-old is pleased to leave the New Zealand setup at a time when men's and women's teams are thriving in the international setup. The White Ferns lifted their first T20 World Cup last year, and the men's team whitewashed India in a three-match Test series. The 3-0 defeat marked India's first home bashing since 2012.

'It's true that the game has evolved a great deal over the past twenty years. But the flipside is that the basics and fundamentals of batting and bowling have never really changed,' he said.

'Sure, the batters are playing shots we wouldn't have dreamed of in the nineties, and the bowlers are producing options and change-ups with an incredible degree of difficulty. But within all that, the framework that allows the players to execute so successfully is still the same as it was 50 years ago,' he added.

NZC Chief High Performance Officer Daryl Gibson paid tribute to Carter's long service and expertise and said, 'Bob has been the voice of experience at Lincoln and has been involved in much of the success we've seen in the men's and women's games over the past decade or more.'

'He's part of a wider high-performance team that underpinned and supported one of New Zealand cricket's golden periods - the legacy he leaves in terms of his contribution to NZC is enormous. Bob's a much-loved part of the cricket family, and he carries massive respect wherever he goes. His mahi and passion for the game are undiminished, and we wish him and his family well,' he concluded. (ANI)