New Zealander Mark Coles has been appointed as the head coach of Scotland Women’s cricket team. Mark replaces Head coach Steve Knox, who worked in a part-time capacity. Coles has been in the field of coaching as a professional cricket coach for more than 20 years.
His most significant tenure as a coach is probably with Pakistan women’s team where he served as the Head coach for two years and had a substantial role to play in the improvement of the side. During his stay with the team, Pakistan moved up to the fifth place in the ICC Women’s Championship table on the brink of qualifying for the 2021 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
His latest appointment was as the High-Performance Manager with Cricket Japan which came to an unfortunate end owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. This move by Cricket Scotland to appoint a full-time coach for their women’s team showcases their commitment and determination to promote the game at international as well as domestic level and elevate the status of women’s cricket in the country.
Speaking to Cricket Scotland, an excited Mark Coles said, “I am very humbled to be given the opportunity to work with such a talented group and I am extremely excited about what we can achieve. Scotland is a wonderful sporting nation with a rich sporting history. I have no doubt that when we play, we will be playing with the pride, passion, and bravery that the Scottish people are known for around the world.”
Cricket Scotland CEO, Gus Mackay, too was buoyed by their new recruitment. He said, “Mark’s appointment as full-time coach of our women’s national team represents a big step forward for women’s cricket in this country. We conducted a robust recruitment process for this role, considering candidates with a wide range of cricket backgrounds from around the world.”
“Mark’s experience and achievements with Pakistan made him a standout candidate for the role. I would like to extend my thanks to Mark’s predecessor Steve Knox for the excellent work that he did as Head Coach in a part-time capacity over the last five years,” concluded Mackay.
As far as Scotland is considered, they last played in the 2019 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier and they finished the tournament at the middle of the points table. Next up, Scotland will compete in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup European qualifiers and will also look to qualify for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games.
Source- cricketscotland.com
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