Mascarenhas to quit as NZ bowling coach in February

New Zealand bowling coach Dimitri Mascarenhas announced on Friday that he will quit after the home series against Australia in February.

Mascarenhas who took over from Shane Bond after the 2015 World Cup cited family reasons for his decision to step down.

"It has been really tough being on the road for a long time. We thought we could get by, but it is a little bit tough and I thought I would make the right decision by my family. Any support staff struggle with the current international schedule," the former England cricketer was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.com.

"It is 12 months of the year now - there is no season or time off. That does take its toll."

"I have a great relationship with all of the squad, the players and the support staff so the decision is purely based on family. It is time for me to go home and spend some more time with them."

The 38-year-old is hopeful that even after his departure, the likes of Tim Southee and Trent Boult will continue putting in top-class performances.

"We have got a number of fast bowlers around the country who are producing really good performances and long may that continue," Mascarenhas said.

New Zealand Cricket said they have already started searching for a replacement but whether the appointment of the new bowling coach would be made before the World T20 in March is still unclear.

Mascarenhas added that he would love to come back to coaching some day.

"I hope I can re-visit this sort of role," he said. "The children are young now and that's where I need to be. But it's definitely the type of job I'd like to return to."

In his playing days the all rounder featured in 34 limited-overs matches for England.