Bermuda’s Hemp to coach Pak women’s cricket team

KARACHI: The Pakistan women’s cricket team on Thursday hired a former Bermudian international player as its next coach.

David Hemp, who currently lives in Australia, has for the past five years coached cricket teams in the country’s Women’s Big Bash League and is a former captain of Bermuda’s national side and Glamorgan County Cricket Club in Wales.

“David brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge, more importantly around women’s cricket development, which is extremely critical to our strategy,” Urooj Mumtaz, head of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s women’s wing, said.

Hemp will become the second foreign coach to work with the team, replacing New Zealander Mark Coles, who stepped down from his role last year citing family reasons.

The Pakistan women’s team improved under Coles’s leadership, winning a One-day International against higher ranked New Zealand and beating the West Indies 2-1 in a one-day series last year.

Pakistani former first-class player Iqbal Imam served as interim coach before Pakistan Cricket Board settled on Hemp.