Cricket masterminds: The greatest coaches in the history of cricket
When fans talk cricket, the conversation often starts and ends with legendary players—batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders. However, behind every successful team or standout performance, a coach usually calls the shots, shapes strategies, and builds mental strength from the sidelines.
Cricket coaches play an important role that is often not given enough attention. To introduce you to their role, here are some of the best and most successful coaches who have guided teams from the sidelines.
John Buchanan
John Buchanan might just be the most successful coach in cricket history. He led Australia to two ICC World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007, as well as multiple Ashes and Champions Trophy victories. His coaching era from 1999 to 2007 gave Australia lots of world cricket wins.
Some people said Buchanan was lucky to have a strong team, but his focus on discipline, mental strength, and new ideas helped the players improve even more. His organised way of leading gave stars like Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist a good stepping stone for success.
Bob Woolmer
Bob Woolmer was known as a smart and forward-thinking coach. He used a more scientific way of coaching when he worked with South Africa in the 1990s and later with Pakistan in the 2000s. He focused on fitness, studying game data, and helping players understand the game better, which changed how teams trained and played.
Because of his excellence and contribution to Pakistan’s team, he was given a high-ranking award called the ‘Sitara-e-Imtiaz’. Sadly, he passed away during the 2007 World Cup, which was a big shock to the cricket world. Even so, he is still remembered as a great coach and teacher of the game.
Gary Kirsten
Gary Kirsten was a calm and smart coach who was well-respected by many. People say his coaching helped the team work well together and stay focused. While he was the coach, India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, their first in 28 years.
Former captain MS Dhoni often said that Kirsten was ‘the best thing that’s ever happened to Indian cricket’ because of his excellence in coaching. He was also a retired cricketer who holds the record for the highest number of runs in a single inning in an ODI by a South African player.
Ravi Shastri
After quitting cricket as a player, he became the head coach of India’s cricket team from 2017 to 2021. Because of his previous experience in the field, he managed to be a part of some historic wins in Test matches, including a series win in Australia in 2018-19.
In history, he is often referred to as the most popular coach in the history of Indian Cricket. His team management and excellence in coaching led to multiple successes, even defeating Australia on their home court. However, he failed to secure a major World Cup appearance. Despite this, many still believe he is one of the greatest coaches.
Duncan Fletcher
The Englishman Duncan Fletcher is considered one of the greatest coaches of the early 2000s. One of his biggest achievements was helping England win the 2005 Ashes series, which ended a long-standing 18-year losing streak against Australia. He was known for his smart thinking and mixing old-school coaching with new ideas.
He also coached the Indian team and managed to win the Champions Trophy. However, he came when many senior players were retiring and no longer part of the squad. Even though that was the case, India still reached the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup. Despite successes, his contract with the Indian team was not extended, signifying that it was his last dance with them.
The heroes behind the limelight
These are just some of the greatest coaches to ever grace the world of cricket. From John Buchanan’s top-notch strategies to Duncan Fletcher’s end of an 18-year losing streak, these achievements will forever be etched in history.
The players they handled were thankful they got to work side-by-side with them, with M.S. Dhoni even telling the world that Gary Kirsten is ‘the greatest to ever happen in the Indian Team.’
Whenever a star player reaches great heights, think of the one who supported them as well: their coach.
