It is obvious that the importance of a good coach in cricket cannot be overstated. The key to success is to be skilled, but it is also necessary to polish those skills and perform effectively. That needs a guide, a teacher, to grasp the person’s hand and lead them along the appropriate path to their objective.
This is true in every situation. Even when we consider sports such as cricket. The following are the top 10 best cricket coaches of all time.
10) John Buchanan:
Former coach and first-class cricketer John Buchanan is largely considered as the greatest coach in cricket history, and he was dubbed “Ned Flanders” owing to his resemblance to the Simpsons character. After five years as coach of the Queensland Bulls, Buchanan was named coach of the Australian cricket team in October 1999.
Australian cricket coach:
The Australian national cricket team won the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2004 India Tour, and the first-ever ICC Champions Trophy in 2006.
Following his resignation as Australia’s cricket coach, Buchanan turned down an informal offer to coach the Indian cricket team, citing a lack of readiness for another international post. Buchanan, on the other hand, has not ruled out returning to coach an international cricket side in the future.
Later career:
Buchanan said in mid-2006 that he will stand down after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, potentially to coach the Southern Redbacks. He did, however, take a job as an Ambassador for Cricket Coaches in Australia in October 2007, where he intends to use his knowledge to support the growth of Australian coaches in the future.
He was the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders till June 2009, after retiring from the Australian squad.
During the 2010–11 Ashes series, England Cricket Team employed him as a consultant.
From May 2011 until July 2013, he was also the Director of Cricket for New Zealand Cricket team.
9) Bob Woolmer:
Bob Woolmer, a former English cricketer and professional cricket coach, began coaching with Warwickshire County Cricket Club in 1991 and won the Natwest Trophy in 1993. Woolmer was chosen as South Africa’s coach in 1994, and the South African national cricket team won 10 of 15 Test series during his tenure.
Success with Pakistan:
He was also named coach of the Pakistan squad in 2004, and the team won the ODI series against Indian team on the Return Tour with a score of 4–2.
Bob was decorated with Pakistan’s highest civil award, the “Sitara-e-Imtiaz,” for his contributions to the Pakistan national cricket squad.
He died on March 18, 2007, only hours after Pakistan was eliminated from the 2007 Cricket World Cup against Ireland. He was by far the best cricket coaches in Pakistani history.
In his International coaching career, he had achieved a lot more than trophies and matches, he received respect from the people which was his biggest achievement. He is considered as one of the best cricket coaches in the world.
8) Mickey Arthur:
Mickey Arthur is a South African-Australian cricket coach and former South African domestic cricketer who played from 1986 to 2001. From 2016 to 2019, he coached the Pakistan Cricket Team, and as of December 2020, he is the head coach of the Sri Lanka national cricket team.
He coached the South African national team from 2005 to 2010, the Australian national team from 2010 until his dismissal in June 2013 (when he was succeeded by Darren Lehmann), and the Pakistan national cricket team from 2016 to 2019. Mickey was hired as Sri Lanka Cricket’s new head coach in December 2019, after interim coach Rumesh Ratnayake.
His time as a coach proved the world why he is considered as one of the best cricket coaches in the world.
7) John Wright:
John Wright, a retired New Zealand cricketer and professional cricket coach, was dubbed “Shake” during his playing career for his incredible success as New Zealand’s opening batsman.
He began his international coaching career with the Kent County Cricket Club and was named head coach of the Indian national cricket team ( Indian team ) in 2000, a position he held until 2005.
Indian cricket team:
During his tenure, the Indian side progressed dramatically, reaching the final of the ICC 2003 Cricket World Cup and winning the home test series against Australia, including the famous Kolkata test, which India won after overcoming a follow-on with VVS Laxman hitting 281 not out.
later Career:
Wright coached the New Zealand cricket team from December 2010 to 2012.
In January 2013, he was named head coach of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Mumbai Indians went on to win the 2013 edition of the Indian premier league. John Wright stayed with the club for 7 years and helped them clinch 3 titles.
6) Dav Whatmore:
Dav Whatmore, a retired Australian cricketer and professional cricket coach, had a brief international career as an Australian player, appearing in seven Tests and one ODI. He began his international coaching career as a member of the Sri Lanka national cricket squad.
Whatmore coached them for two years, during which time Sri Lanka won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996. From 2003 until 2007, he was the head coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team. In 2005, he led them to their first-ever Test victory.
Pakistan team:
On March 4, 2012, the Pakistan Cricket Board selected Whatmore as national team coach. He worked for them until Moin Khan took over in 2014. Pakistan won the Asia Cup in 2012 during his two-year stint. In addition to his international coaching experience, he coached the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL from 2009 till the end of 2011.
The tactics and strategies of Dav Whatmore makes him one of the best cricket coaches in the world.
5) Duncan Fletcher:
Duncan Fletcher, a former Zimbabwean cricketer and professional cricket coach, led Zimbabwe to victory in the 1982 ICC Trophy. In 1999, he began his international coaching career with the England cricket team. During his tenure, which lasted until 2007, he made significant changes to the English national team.
England cricket team:
After 18 years in English cricket history, he won the 2005 Ashes series. He also won the Commonwealth Bank Series in 2007. In 2005, Fletcher was awarded the Order of the British Empire. He did so for his part to England finally winning the Ashes after an 18-year wait.
Indian team:
On April 27, 2011, he was named Head coach of the Indian National cricket team. He then served them till 2015.
Fletcher coached the India national cricket team to eight international series triumphs, including the 2013 Champions Trophy.
After the success with India national cricket team, Fletcher being the head coach had received a lot of appreciation and was also called one of the best cricket coaches in the world. His calm and composed nature always helps him throughout his career.
4) Andy Flower:
Andy Flower, a former Zimbabwean cricketer and professional cricket coach, is regarded as one of the greatest batsman in cricket history. He is the only Zimbabwean cricketer to be ranked 31st in the ICC’s Top 100 All-Time Test Batting list.
England cricket team:
Andy began his international coaching career in May 2007 as an assistant coach for the England national cricket team. In April 2009, he was promoted as head coach of the English squad.
The English national cricket side won the 2010 ICC World Cup Twenty20 under Flower’s guidance. In addition, they won the Ashes series three times, in 2009, 2011, and 2013. In the 2011 Birthday Honours, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. And he did so for his contributions to the English cricket squad.
Domestic Clubs:
Flower guided the Multan Sultans to their first-ever playoff appearance in the 2020 season under his reign. The Sultans finished first in the league stage but were eliminated in the preliminary round. Similarly, he guided the Zouks to their first-ever CPL finals berth.
Flower worked as an assistant coach for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in IPL 2020 and 2021 before taking over as head coach of Lucknow Super Giants.
3) Darren Lehmann:
Darren Lehmann, a retired Australian cricketer and professional cricket coach, played 27 tests and 117 ODIs for Australia. In 2008, he began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Australia Centre of Excellence.
Clubs:
From 2009 until 2012, Lehmann was the head coach of the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League. During the 2010-11 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, he was also named coach of the Queensland cricket team.
Australian team:
Lehmann’s international coaching career began with the Australian national cricket team. Despite Australia’s 3-nil loss in that series, Lehmann led the team to a 5-nil triumph in the 2013–14 series less than five months later.
Following the ball tampering controversy that happened during the fourth test match against South Africa in March 2018, Lehmann resigned down as head coach. He was initially suspected of being implicated in the scandal, however Cricket Australia exonerated him at the conclusion of their probe.
Later Career:
He took over for Mickey Arthur in June 2013 and remained the team’s coach until 2014. Between addition to international coaching, he was the coach of Kings XI Punjab in 2012 and 2013. Sanjay Bangar was then appointed coach of the IPL franchise.
His achivements show the world why he is considered as one of the best cricket coaches in the world.
2) Gary Kristen:
Gary Kirsten, a retired South African cricketer and professional cricket coach, holds the record for the most runs scored in a single innings in a One Day International by any South African, with 188 not out.
Team India:
He began his international coaching career with the Indian cricket team on March 1, 2008, and remained with the squad till early 2011. India won the 2011 ICC World Cup after a wait of 28 years and the 2009 Compaq Cup during his tenure, as well as reaching the finals of the 2008 Asia Cup and Kitply Cup.
M.S. Dhoni, one of the most successful cricket captains, called Kirsten “the finest thing to happen to Indian cricket.” Where a lot of Star-studded team failed to win the World cup, the world cup winning coach did it with a so-called average team.
On 5 June 2011, he was also named head coach of the South African national cricket team, a position he held until August 2013.
Kirsten founded Performance Zone alongside Paddy Upton and Dale Williams in 2007 in addition to her coaching job.
The list of best cricket coaches in the world always seems empty without Gary having a special mention.
1) Mike Hesson:
Mike Hesson, one of the most recent head coaches of the New Zealand cricket team, is widely regarded as one of the best cricket coaches in the world of modern day cricket. In 1996, he began his international coaching career with a seven-year apprenticeship as the director of coaching at Otago Cricket Club.
Early Career:
Hesson began his coaching career at the age of 22, making him an unusually young coach. Mike was named head coach of Kenya’s national cricket team in 2011. However, he resigned in May 2012, claiming security concerns he and his family had throughout their stay.
He also coached the Argentina National Cricket Team for eight months in 2003. The South American team won three games after suffering 31 straight defeats under his leadership.
New Zealand cricket team:
On July 20, 2012, he was named head coach of the New Zealand national cricket team. He was their coach till 2018.
The culture and style of play created by Hesson and McCullum for the BlackCaps were revolutionary for New Zealand cricket. Hesson and McCullum were named Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours for their contributions to cricket.
Hesson was the longest-serving cricket coach in New Zealand. He earned a reputation as a calm and intelligent man-manager, as well as for building and sustaining an ideal team culture while leading the BlackCaps to unparalleled success.
He was undoubtedly one of the best cricket coaches in the world.
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