Cricket, much like every other sport involving physicality, requires a mentor. You cannot venture out into the open World with no guide to lead you through the hurdles that all the players who’ve come before have faced. Coaches are what define the potential of a player and take them forward to improving their game.

A coach in a cricket game chooses the right players based on their performance and requirement against rival teams of varying strategies. The same style is reflected in the video game culture of online fantasy cricket, where players can look up performances and create their fantasy teams to pit them against rivals on the internet.

The list below checks out the best cricket coaches who changed the future of several teams and led them to win numerous titles through their creative coaching skills.

Best Coaches in Cricket History

1. Dav Whatmore

This coach from Australia stands as one of the best coaches the international World of cricket has ever seen. Dav’s playing career was short, and he only played one ODI match and seven test matches as a part of the national team. Later Dav shifted his skills to teaching cricketers the art and began his career as a coach in the Sri Lankan cricket team.

His first win with the team came from the controversial World Cup in 1996, which elevated his status in the eyes of the cricket world. He soon became a coach to the national side of Bangladesh between 2003 and 2007 and molded them towards achieving their first test match victory in 2005, reshaping the team as a better version of its former self.

2. Ravi Shastri

Ravi is one of the top coaches to have mentored the Indian cricket team. He joined the side when Anil Kumble retired from this role, and his contributions to the game did more than justice to his predecessor. The best factor about Ravi was that during his time on the team, he had performed the role of an all-rounder and had ample knowledge about which position demanded the most attention in the given situation. 

The young talent in India has flourished quite well after his arrival to the team in 2017. He made definitive improvements that helped the team beat Australia on their home ground. His actions were solely instrumental in India’s reach to the semifinals of the World Cup later.

3. Gary Kirsten

During his playing days, Gary Kirsten was one of the top players for the South African cricket team, and his One Day International score remains the highest anyone has ever scored in the national team, which stands at a 188 not out.

Often claimed as the best thing to happen to Indian cricket, Gary impacted the team like no other. Famous Indian captain MS Dhoni admitted to his excellent coaching skills and held Gary responsible for the team’s remarkable performance in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

He ended his coaching career in South Africa after serving the Indian team for four long years and mentoring them in some of the bestest tournaments ever. 

4. Duncan Fletcher

The top coach on this list undoubtedly goes to this man whose contributions to the game of cricket stand next to none. Duncan was able to coach the English team to win the Ashes after 18 years of struggling, which led him to be honored by Order of the British Empire in 2005. He started to coach the team in 1999 and improved them in all aspects to create a strong team that is defiant of whatever odds they might face. 

In his final years, he was appointed as the coach of the Indian cricket team, where the twilight stage of his career also held some magical influence on the team. They were led to winning 8 international series, which is a sheer representation of the impact of Fletcher’s hand. Fletcher has the most colorful career of all coaches; to this day, his example is foremost among the top coaches.

5. Darren Lehmann

Lehmann was a cricketer on the Australian cricketing side and showed huge commitment as a player in his early years. In IPL, Darren was appointed as the head coach of the Deccan Chargers after he went on to manage the Australian team as an assistant coach, which was the beginning of his career. 

He permanently became the coach of his national side in 2013 and made some important changes marked as necessary for improving the team. His career in IPL was flourishing as he was appointed as a coach to Kings XI Punjab in 2012-2013, owing to his years of expertise in the format.

6. Trevor Bayliss

Trevor Bayliss is marked as the savior of English cricket after they went through a bad run until 2015. The pent-up anger and frustration that the English players had after being knocked out by Bangladesh were understood by Bayliss. While mentoring Eoin Morgan and the rest of the team, he gave them full liberty to utilize all of their potential in a free form without any manner of restriction.

The bottled factor of the England game that had become the norm till Trevor arrived was finally unleashed, leading them to win the 2019 World Cup after reaching the final of the 2016 edition. To date, the English side owes their gratitude to the big-hearted and genius coach.

Conclusion

Coaches are the most important aspect of any sports team as they are the ones that direct the young talent to do what is required in any situation. A strong coach provides motivation and support when times are tough, giving the team the propulsion needed to get through tight spots by maintaining a calm mind. Without the presence of these coaches, the turnabouts in most matches would not be what the world sees now, and fans would miss out on some of the most revolutionary cricket games in history.