Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes named Sweden's head coach

Former South African all-rounder Jonty Rhodes has been roped in as the new head coach of the Sweden national cricket team.

Confirming the news, the Swedish Cricket Federation said that the appointment of Rhodes has been made as the board looks to invest in junior cricket, high performance and the growth of sport in the country.

SCF director Benn Harradine expressed hope that Rhodes will play a crucial role in lifting the players' performance and taking the country's cricket to next level.

"Our growth targets and key areas are directed toward junior cricket and high performance. Jonty will play a pivotal role in lifting our players as well as assisting in securing quality coaching framework for the future sustainability of the game. I am delighted to have him as part of our small and ambitious team,” Harradine stated.

Talking about his new role, Rhodes said that he couldn't wait to relocate to Sweden with his family and begin his work with the national cricket team.

"I am really excited to relocate to Sweden with my family and work together with the Swedish Cricket community. This opportunity has come at a perfect time and I am grateful to be able to invest my energies in acompletely new environment. I can't wait to get started,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Rhodes as saying.

Rhodes has appeared in 245 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 52 matches in the longest format of the game, amassing a total of 8,467 runs across the two formats.

Following his retirement after an injury during 2003 ICC World Cup, Rhodes had short coaching stints with the Proteas, Kenya and Sri Lanka. He has also seved as the fielding coach of various Indian Premier League (IPL) for many years.