5 best upcoming women's coaches and managers in world cricket

Multan Sultans made headlines when they became the first Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise to appoint a female general manager. Hijab Zahid, director at Grassroots Cricket, has replaced Haider Azhar to become one of the few female managers across the cricketing globe.

Following their triumph in 2021, the Sultans have finished runners-up over the last two PSL seasons, including a heartbreaking one-run defeat in this year's grand finale.

At 28, Zahid will also become the youngest general manager of the PSL as the franchise undergoes an overhaul in its ownership since the death of sole owner Alamgir Tareen last month.

While the popularity of women's cricket has increased by leaps and bounds, female coaches and managers are still few and far between.

The breakthrough for women in a managerial role occurred when Julia Price was appointed assistant coach for the Brisbane Heat in 2019. The most significant news of such an ilk came when England legend Sarah Taylor was appointed as the coach for the Abu Dhabi side in the 2021 T10 League.

Multan Sultans signing Hijab Zahid as their manager has raised curiosity among fans about the other upcoming female coaches or managers. Here, we look at five names performing such a role in world cricket.

#1 Jhulan Goswami

Goswami had a victorious start to her coaching career.

India's greatest fast bowler, Jhulan Goswami, was the team mentor and bowling coach of the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the inaugural WPL this year.

In her first major assignment in a coaching role, the 40-year-old garnered praise, with MI being crowned the WPL champions. In a career spanning two decades, Goswami finished with over 350 international wickets and was the leading wicket-taker in ODI and World Cup history.

Another feather in her cap was Hayley Mathews finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the WPL. MI won six of their eight games during the league stages and defeated the UP Warriorz in the Eliminator and the Delhi Capitals in the grand finale.

#2 V.R. Vanitha

V.R. Vanitha broke the myth by coaching a Men's cricket team.

Former Indian women's cricketer V.R. Vanitha became a trendsetter by becoming a women's coach in men's cricket when she was appointed the head coach of the Shivamogga franchise for the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 2023.

The 33-year-old, who played only 22 games for India, retired from all forms of cricket in February of 2022.

Post-retirement, she was named the coach of the Karnataka U-16 team. Vanitha was then part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) setup in the auction for the inaugural women’s Premier League (WPL).

Shivamogga had an impressive season, winning five of their ten games and qualifying for the semi-final before losing to the Hubli Tigers by eight wickets.

#3 Shelley Nitschke

Australia continued their dominance of Women's cricket under Shelley Nitschke.

Former Australian all-rounder Shelley Nitschke is probably the most prominent name among female coaches/managers, having been appointed the head coach of the Australian women's team in September of 2022.

The 46-year-old played for the Aussies between 2004 and 2009 in 122 games. She scored over 5,500 runs and picked up 153 wickets across formats in her international career.

Nitschke continued playing domestic cricket in Australia following her international retirement. Under Nitschke, Australia won the T20 World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.

#4 Rachael Haynes

Rachael Haynes' coaching stint in the WPL did not go according to plan.

Australian batter Rachael Haynes was another recently retired cricketer who transitioned to a head coaching role for the Gujarat Giants in the inaugural WPL.

Haynes retired in late 2022 after winning six world titles with Australia and serving as their vice-captain from 2017 to 2022. During her illustrious career, she played 167 games across the three formats and scored almost 4,000 runs with two centuries and 25 half-centuries to her name.

Unfortunately, the 36-year-old endured a dismal start to her coaching career as the Giants finished bottom of the table, with only two wins in eight games.

However, as she has been part of the leadership group for almost six years with Australia, Haynes should prosper as a head coach in the future.

#5 Nahida Khan

Nahida Khan will be Pakistan women's team manager in their first-ever home series.

The most recent addition to the list of female managers is former Pakistan opener Nahida Khan. The 36-year-old announced her international retirement in June this year. She was appointed as the team manager for the Pakistan women's team for their first-ever home series against South Africa, starting September 1.

The right-hander scored over 2,000 runs in 110 matches in her international career, with eight half-centuries to her name. However, Nahida may relinquish her role with the return of Ayesha Ashhar, who will resume her role in the Asian Games later in September.