Mark Coles. COURTESY
Mark Coles becomes Scotland's first-ever full-time women’s coach. Scotland’s full membership plans received a boost last week, with Coles coming on board as their first-ever full-time women’s coach. The move, which signals Scotland’s ongoing commitment to women’s cricket, saw Coles sign a two-year contract as the Wildcats look ahead to a busy schedule over the next 12 months. He replaces Steve Knox, who had filled the role on a part-time basis since 2016.
Coles, originally from New Zealand, has a breadth of experience across the women’s game stretching back nearly twenty years; most recently he was high performance manager at the Japan Cricket Association, and before that he mentored the Pakistani women’s team throughout their ICC Women’s Championship campaign between 2017-2019. He has also coached the Vanuatu women’s team as well as various domestic sides in New Zealand and Australia.
Coles’ first priority will be to help the Scottish women prepare for several important tournaments this year – first, hosting the ICC T20 World Cup Europe qualifiers in August, as well as being likely starters in the eventual qualifying tournament for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Gus Mackay, CEO of Cricket Scotland, highlighted the forward-looking nature of Coles’ appointment in a statement released with the announcement: “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.”
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