James Franklin has been appointed as the assistant coach of the Birmingham Phoenix, the men's hundred team at Edgbaston.
Franklin, Durham's first-team coach, would become part of the New Zealand-influenced coaching team for Phoenix after the ECB confirmed that Daniel Vettori would be stepping in as head coach for Andrew McDonald. Worcestershire head coach Alex Gidman has previously been confirmed as Phoenix's other assistant coach.
As the northern supercharger for the Hundred team linked to Durham, Franklin was expected to play a role there. But, Vettori & Franklin, former New Zealand teammates who also worked together at Middlesex, know each other well & will be reunited once again.
Franklin's inclusion in the side means he will be unavailable for Durham during the Royal London Cup. Franklin's assistant coach, Neil Killeen, has also been hired as an assistant to the Superchargers for the Hundred.
Meanwhile, Ben Sawyer has committed to his role as head coach of the women's team in Phoenix, as an assistant to Caroline Foster (née Atkins), Dominic Osler & Gareth Davis. Ostler & Davies currently coach the Warwickshire & Worcestershire women's sides respectively, while Foster won the Ashes, the World Cup & the World T20 in a long playing career with England.
"Ben is a fantastic coach who has experience around the world," she said. "I can't wait to work with her & the players, which is an incredibly exciting moment not only for Birmingham Phoenix but for women's cricket."
McDonald is unavailable due to his commitments as assistant coach of the Australian team & difficulties traveling in the time of COVID. He remains involved - albeit remotely - in a consulting capacity & currently, is expected to resume the head coaching role in 2022.
"It was a really difficult decision not to travel this summer & I'm extremely sad that I will not be there personally to coach the team," McDonald said. "I'm doing whatever I can to advise & support Daniels & his team & I am already looking forward to playing an individual role next season."
Vettori has previously coached RCB in the IPL, Brisbane Heat in the BBL & Middlesex in the Blast, & most recently worked as a spin consultant for Bangladesh. "We will continue to communicate regularly & Andrew's advice will be critical to our success," he said. "Our team looks really strong & we want to have a winning team & hopefully bring a hundred trophies to Birmingham."