KEY POINTS:
Announcing the departure of the Black Caps coach may seem a strange way of leading into a tour of England but New Zealand Cricket has at least given itself plenty of time to find a suitable successor to John Bracewell.
Chief executive Justin Vaughan yesterday confirmed Bracewell's departure after his contract finishes in April next year.
Depending on what side you butter your bread, NZC has either saddled itself with a lame-duck coach for what seems an interminable 11 months, or has given itself a sensible amount of time to find the best possible successor for a man whose tenure could hardly be described as smooth sailing.
Vaughan has just two words for those who subscribe to the lame-duck theory - Robbie Deans.
The performance of the Crusaders coach hasn't suffered despite his days in his current job being numbered. Deans has also had to contend with the fact he will soon be pitching his flag in an enemy camp, something that doesn't apply to Bracewell - although rumours of his eventual return to former county Gloucester continue to swirl.
Deans, however, would be the exception to the rule when it comes to lame-duck coaches.
The flipside to the lame-duck theory would see Bracewell doing exceptionally well in his final months in the job and the Black Caps losing a coach just after he had discovered the formula for success.
Vaughan doesn't see that as a problem either.
"That leaves us in a good position for a new coach to take over," Vaughan said.
The extended time-frame for the appointment process would have many benefits, he said.
The search for a new coach would be global and many prospective candidates would need plenty of notice to free themselves up for the post.
"What we need is the right person. It's not a process you want to rush. Coaches of the calibre we are after are in high demand and will often be in roles that can be very hard to extricate themselves from."
John Wright, the former India coach serving as acting manager of the NZC high-performance programme, will be the favourite of many to succeed his former international team-mate.
Vaughan said he had yet to discuss the matter with Wright.
"John was recruited to do a specific job and I have to say he is making a really good job of it.
"He wasn't brought in as a backstop for John Bracewell."
Vaughan stressed that Bracewell wasn't departing "for performance reasons".
The job was extremely arduous and Bracewell had simply decided he had come to the end of shelf life.
Bracewell, however, was determined to have a positive impact in his last year as coach and the players were also determined to send him off on a high note, Vaughan said.
Having been through the international coaching mill before, there is no certainty Wright will want the Black Caps post.
Vaughan said Wright would likely "consider how he feels about it and might decide to put his name forward for this process".
The global search didn't discount the chances of local prospects such as successful Auckland coach Mark O'Donnell.
Arguably the New Zealand-based coach with the best credentials, O'Donnell said it was "way too early" to say if he would apply for the post.
"I've only just heard about so I haven't even thought about it."
