Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

The Swedish Cricket Federation (SCF) has announced that Jonty Rhodes will be moving to Sweden to take charge of country’s national team. “Swedish Cricket Federation to invest in junior cricket, high performance & growth through the appointment of South African cricket great, Jonty Rhodes as head coach,” SCF said in a statement.

The 51-year-old who is currently in Dubai for the 13th edition of IPL as the fielding coach of Kings XI Punjab is excited for the new challenges that this role would demand. “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 a completely new environment. I can’t wait to get started,” said Rhodes according to PTI report.

Taking into consideration, the growing popularity of cricket in the country, SCF has taken this decision. The federation claims that there has been a 300 percent increase in participation over the past two years and associating with Rhodes will only help the national team to achieve their goals.

“Our growth goals and focus areas are primarily aimed at youth cricket and development towards high-performance cricket. Jonty will play a pivotal role in lifting our players as well as assisting in securing a quality coaching framework for the future sustainability of the game. I am delighted to have him as part of our small and ambitious team,” said Benn Harradine, SCF Sports Director.

Previously, he was the fielding coach for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, however, this would be the first time that he would be leading the team from grass root level managing almost every aspect of the game.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.