We, as cricket fans enjoy watching the eleven players on the field led by a captain, playing to get a victory for the country. However, just like in a school, a class is incomplete without teachers with expertise in a particular subject with all of them being further headed by the principal. Similarly, in sports, a team is nothing without coaches having control over different departments, all together headed by a head coach who is responsible for the success of the team.
Mentioned below are the current head coaches of the Top 10 ranked Women Cricket Teams as per the ICC ranking:
· Australia:
The most successful team of women’s cricket, Australia is coached by Matthew Mott. Former first-class cricketer Mott was first given the responsibility in 2015 and was later re-signed until 2020. Now, after looking at the dominance the team has made along with their good list of achievements, Mott’s contract has been extended till 2023.
· England:
Appointed in 2019, former Australian cricketer who was the first woman to score an ODI century at Lord’s back in 1998, Lisa Keightley became England women’s first full-time head coach after holding the same position at England Women’s academy between 2011 and 2015.
· New Zealand:
The position of head coach for the White Ferns has been filled by the former assistant coach for the Black Caps, Bob Carter. Appointed in 2019, his contract with the team is till the end of the ICC Women’s World Cup, which was supposed to be held this year, but the pandemic resulted in its postponement to next year in New Zealand itself.
· India:
Coming from a nation where cricket is considered the most famous sport, the women in blue are coached by former Indian cricketer Ramesh Powar. He was first assigned as the team’s interim coach in 2018 but was removed at the end of the year following reports of a rift between him and the team’s captain Mithali Raj. However, he was reassigned to the position in May this year.
· South Africa:
The Proteas women’s cricket team is coached by former South Africa’s wicketkeeper Hilton Moreeng. Holding the responsibility since 2012, he has helped the team gain a lot of success, making them reach the semi-finals of the 2014 and 2020 T20 World Cup as well as the 2017 ODI World Cup. Last year, he was re-appointed to the post on a three-year deal.
· West Indies:
Coached by the leading test wicket-taker for the Windies, Courtney Walsh, West Indies would be looking to seal a berth to the ICC World Cup next year in the qualifiers this month. Walsh, who is also an ICC Cricket Hall of Fame 2010 inductee, previously was a specialist bowling coach for the Bangladesh cricket team.
· Pakistan:
The Pakistan women’s cricket team is coached by David Hemp who used to play cricket for Bermuda from 2006 to 2009. Before being appointed the position in 2020, Hemp has coached the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) team, Melbourne Stars, and the Victoria Women’s Team who compete in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL).
· Sri Lanka:
Former Sri Lanka Test captain Hashan Tillakaratne was appointed as the head coach of the country’s women’s cricket team in June this year on a six-month contract. Part of Sri Lanka’s maiden World Cup title in 1996, Tillakaratne has previously been the head coach of the U-19 team as well as Lankan Premier League team Kandy Tuskers and also, the batting coach of the emerging team from the country.
· Bangladesh:
In February this year, former batter Shahnewaz Shahid took over as the head coach of the Bangladesh women’s team. He was appointed on an interim basis after Mark Robinson, who initially was to take the position as confirmed in December 2020, didn’t join citing family reasons.
· Ireland:
Having played international cricket for both England and Ireland, Ed Joyce was appointed as the coach of the Ireland women’s cricket team in June 2019 for a two-year period. Under his leadership, Ireland has qualified for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers starting this week and would be looking to make it to the main event for the first time after 2005.
Leading a national team isn’t an easy task and all those currently holding the responsibility have been appointed with the faith that they are the most deserving ones, capable of taking their respective teams to great heights.
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