Jeff Vaughan appointed head coach of Hobart Hurricanes

The 48-year-old, who played for South Australia, is currently head coach of Tasmanian Tigers

Jeff Vaughan has been appointed head coach of Hobart Hurricanes, signing a three-year contract which will take him through to BBL14.

The 48-year-old, who played for South Australia, is no stranger to cricket in Tasmania, previously working with the Hurricanes as an assistant coach (2017/18) and taking over the reins as Tasmanian Tigers head coach in 2019.

He inherits a Hobart Hurricanes side who have reached the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, including finishing as runners-up in BBL07, and head of strategy Ricky Ponting believes Vaughan can deliver a maiden title for the franchise.

"I know it's been something that’s been much debated previously, but I am a strong believer in continuity between programs," Ponting said.

^{Hobart Hurricanes finished fifth in BBL11 [Mike Owen/Getty Images]}

"Whilst my role in strategy is solely related to the Hurricanes, I am also obviously passionate about the development of Tasmanian cricket as a whole, and with an individual like Jeff already so involved with and committed to the organisation, I think it’s important that we invest in the highly competent people we already have, which in turn will see us investing further in Tasmanian cricket.

"Jeff Vaughan is very highly rated across Australian cricket after his recent stint in the Australian coaching system. Jeff has fantastic people management skills, and we are confident he can bring our group together into mould them into a winning team."

Darren Berry and James Hopes will serve as Vaughan’s assistants, with both coaches boasting considerable franchise experience.

"Darren and James are two very well-respected individuals within the Australian cricket fraternity, and I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with them both previously," Ponting continued.

"From just looking at their resumes, you can see they are two very experienced T20 coaches, and I believe that they both have the T20 smarts to add enormous value to the Hurricanes drive for success."