We, at Female Cricket, recently reported that Walsh has been named as the new head coach for West Indian women’s side. The appointments around coaching, however, don’t stop here. In the latest round of updates, Pakistan has also announced a change as Iqbal Imam is replaced by David Hemp.
Bermuda might ring a bell in the ears of a cricket fan. The country has been on the cricketing map for quite a while and has even made its way to the knockout stage. Hemp was once the skipper of the side and now will look to impart his learnings on the emerging girls of Pakistan. He has played 22 matches at the International stage for Bermuda. It is, however, important to note that he is a qualified UK Level Four coach.
Further, he has been associated with the women’s Big Bash League for the past five years through his services to Melbourne Stars and the Victorian women’s cricket team. Urooj Mumtaz who is the acting head of Pakistan Cricket’s women wing says that David is a perfect fit for the role. She further adds that “I am sure our players will make optimum use of David’s expertise and strict work ethics, while I am sure David will have an enjoyable time when he relocates to Pakistan to join the elite company of illustrious coaching staff of Atiq-uz-Zaman, Grant Bradburn, Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Zahid and Saqlain Mushtaq at our National High-Performance Centre.”
There a total of 38 applications for the role and David made his way through others after an interview as well. Pakistan has recently been in news for the heartening changes that were introduced to contracts of female players. Being one of the toughest homes of women cricket due to Orthodoxy, it is welcoming to see the Pakistan Cricket Board increasing pays of player and avoiding the absence of important figures like a coach.
While Hemp might be a new face to the Indian subcontinent, his performance will be closely monitored by fans and spectators who have their eyes lined up towards the world cup scheduled next year. The International experience and vital time spent in coaching women will be handy for David who will improvise his ways to take Pakistan Women’s Cricket to its best. With experience and youth on the side, David shall look to make Pakistani women a force to reckon.
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.