Mark Coles steps down as women's team head coach

Lahore: The recently-appointed head coach of the Pakistan women’s cricket team Mark Coles has resigned from the position due to personal reasons, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared on Thursday.

“Mark Coles, the head coach of Pakistan women’s team has resigned due to personal reasons,” shared PCB in a statement.

“He will not be available with the women’s side for the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa, which is set to start from 1 September in Karachi.

“The PCB would like to extend its gratitude to Mark Coles for his brief stint with the women’s side and wishes him well in his future endeavours.”

Notably, Coles, who had previously served as head coach of the women’s team from 2017 to 2019, was appointed this year in April.

Coles’s shocking announcement left Pakistan women’s cricket team in a void ahead of their first-ever home series against South Africa that will kick-start a busy 2023-24 international cricket season.

South Africa will play three T20Is and three ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 ODIs in Karachi from 1-14 September.

Pakistan is presently sitting second on the points table with five wins in nine ODIs (three series), while South Africa has played only one series of three ODIs and has six points.

In the inaugural ICC Women’s Championship 2014-16, Pakistan hosted South Africa in Sharjah with the African side winning the series 2-1.

In the 2017-20 edition, Pakistan toured South Africa with the series ending in a 1-1 draw after the third ODI in Benoni finished in a thrilling tie.

South Africa will be the fourth high-profile national women’s side to tour Pakistan in recent times.

In January 2019, West Indies women played three T20Is in Karachi, while in May and November 2022, Sri Lanka and Ireland played ODIs and T20Is in Karachi and Lahore, respectively.

The replacement of Mark Coles will be announced in due course.