PCB to target foreign head coach for Pakistan women's team after poor results
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to seek a foreign coach for its national women's team after a run of disappointing results, a reliable source in the board said on Friday. "The appointment will be made before the women’s team's next international assignment which is a tour of the West Indies," the source said.
Wahab Riaz has been mentoring the women's side since last December after head coach Muhammad Wasim was removed in November following the team's disappointing campaign in the ICC Women's 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The side failed to improve under Wahab, suffering a disappointing outing at the recent Women's T20 World Cup and in a bilateral series in Sri Lanka. The board's move to search for a foreign coach follows that sequence of results.
A reliable board source said the PCB will shortly advertise the head coach vacancy, with preference likely to be given to a foreign candidate. The decision to target an overseas appointment is linked to Pakistan's preparations for the 2028 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, which the country will host. The PCB has said it wants to give the incoming coach sufficient time to build a competitive side for that tournament.
Wahab was appointed as mentor after Wasim's dismissal in November; the change did not produce improved results in subsequent assignments. The team's recent calendar included the Women's T20 World Cup and a bilateral series in Sri Lanka, both of which the source described as disappointing outings under Wahab's guidance. The board had continued with Wahab despite that run of results before deciding to open the search.
The PCB has frequently rotated its women's head coaches, with some of the team's stronger performances coming under foreign coaches David Hemp and Mark Coles. Coles first coached the side between 2017 and 2019 and returned for a brief stint in 2023. Since 2020, the women's team has had at least six different head coaches.
The source reiterated that the appointment will be completed before the women's next international assignment, a tour of the West Indies, setting a clear deadline for the recruitment process.
