BJ Watling Returns as BLACKCAPS Batting Coach Ahead of Australia Tests
BJ Watling spent years saving New Zealand from difficult situations with the bat. Now, the former wicketkeeper is returning to the BLACKCAPS with a new responsibility: helping the next generation do the same.
New Zealand Cricket has appointed Watling as the men's national team batting coach, replacing Luke Ronchi after the Test series against India in December 2026.
The 41-year-old will join the coaching staff on November 16 and work alongside Ronchi before taking full responsibility ahead of New Zealand's four-Test tour of Australia.
It is a return that brings together two important parts of Watling's cricketing journey: his reputation as one of New Zealand's toughest Test batters and his recent success as a domestic coach.
Why New Zealand Have Turned to BJ Watling
Watling was never a player who needed to dominate the headlines. His value often became clear when New Zealand were struggling.
Whether it was surviving a difficult spell, protecting the lower order or building a match-saving partnership, Watling developed a reputation for staying calm when the pressure was highest.
Between 2009 and 2021, he played 75 Tests, scoring 3,790 runs at an average of 37.52, including eight centuries and 19 half-centuries.
Behind the stumps, he completed 265 Test dismissals as a wicketkeeper, a New Zealand record.
He also scored nearly 3,400 Test runs while keeping wicket, more than any other New Zealand player in that role.
But Watling's career did not begin behind the stumps. He made his Test debut as an opening batter before moving into the middle order and becoming New Zealand's regular wicketkeeper.
That change helped shape one of the country's most dependable Test careers.
The 205 Against England That Fans Still Remember
Few innings explain Watling's career better than his double-century against England at Bay Oval in November 2019.
With New Zealand needing a strong response to England's first-innings total of 353, Watling produced an extraordinary display of patience.
He faced 473 deliveries and spent more than 11 hours at the crease to score 205, becoming the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to make a Test double-century.
His partnership with Mitchell Santner was equally important.
The pair added 261 runs for the seventh wicket, with Santner scoring 126. Their stand set a New Zealand record for that wicket and helped the BLACKCAPS secure an innings-and-65-run victory.
That innings was not an isolated performance.
In 2014, Watling scored 124 during a remarkable 352-run sixth-wicket partnership with Brendon McCullum against India in Wellington.
New Zealand had been struggling at 94 for five before the pair helped turn the match around.
A year later, Watling made an unbeaten 142 against Sri Lanka at the same ground, sharing a 365-run sixth-wicket partnership with Kane Williamson.
These performances showed what made him so valuable. He understood when to attack, when to defend and how to stay in a match when the opposition appeared to be in control.
Now, those are lessons he can share with the BLACKCAPS batting group.
Before International Cricket: The Extraordinary 378
Long before becoming a Test cricketer, Watling was already building a reputation for scoring big runs.
Born in Durban, South Africa, he moved to New Zealand as a child and grew up in Hamilton, where he attended Hamilton Boys' High School.
He developed through the local cricket system before representing Northern Districts.
One of his most remarkable early performances came during the 2007–08 Howden Cup final, when he scored an incredible 378 for Hamilton Old Boys against Eastern Suburbs.
Hamilton Old Boys Cricket Club has described the innings as possibly the highest individual score in a senior cricket match in New Zealand.
It was an early example of a quality that would later define Watling's international career: once he settled at the crease, removing him became a serious challenge.
A World Test Champion's Farewell
Watling's final international appearance came on one of New Zealand cricket's greatest days.
In June 2021, he played his last Test against India in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final at Southampton.
New Zealand won by eight wickets to become the first World Test Champions.
It was a fitting end for a cricketer who had spent more than a decade helping the BLACKCAPS become one of the strongest Test teams in the world.
Watling finished his first-class career with more than 10,000 runs from 178 matches, including 18 centuries.
But retirement did not keep him away from cricket for long.
From Domestic Success to the BLACKCAPS Coaching Staff
Watling has spent the years since retirement developing his coaching career.
He worked with the Wellington Firebirds before returning to Northern Districts, where he became head coach.
The results have been impressive.
Northern Districts won the Plunket Shield in 2024–25 under Watling and followed it with the Super Smash title in 2025–26.
Success in both four-day and T20 cricket gives him experience across two very different styles of batting.
That matters for New Zealand, where international players must regularly move between formats and adjust their approach.
New Zealand Cricket's Chief High Performance Officer Daryl Gibson has highlighted Watling's domestic coaching record and his strong relationships with members of the national squad.
Test captain Tom Latham also knows Watling well from their years together in the BLACKCAPS dressing room.
Those existing relationships could help him settle into the role, but international coaching will bring fresh demands.
He must now help players with different techniques and personalities find ways to improve their performances.
Australia Will Be Watling's First Major Challenge
Watling will have little time to settle before facing one of cricket's toughest assignments.
After completing the handover during the India series, he will take charge of New Zealand's batting group for the four-Test tour of Australia.
Australia presents a demanding test for visiting batters, particularly against high-quality pace bowling.
Success often depends on patience, disciplined shot selection and the ability to handle pressure for long periods.
Those were among Watling's greatest strengths as a player.
However, a successful playing career does not automatically make someone a successful coach. Watling will need to turn his knowledge into clear, practical advice that works for each individual batter.
His results with Northern Districts suggest he has made a strong start to his coaching journey. The international stage will be the next examination.
A Familiar BLACKCAP Begins a New Chapter
BJ Watling returns to New Zealand cricket with 75 Tests, a World Test Championship title and domestic coaching trophies behind him.
His appointment is more than a reunion with former teammates. It gives the BLACKCAPS a coach who understands the demands of international batting and has already experienced success from the other side of the boundary.
The upcoming Australia series will offer an early look at how his approach works at the highest level.
For years, Watling was the player New Zealand trusted when wickets were falling.
Now, his challenge is to develop the next player they can trust in those moments.
Sources: New Zealand Cricket; International Cricket Council; ESPNcricinfo; Wisden; Hamilton Old Boys Cricket Club.