Mark Coles appointed as first full-time head coach of Scotland Women

The New Zealander previously led Pakistan Women to fifth in the ICC Women’s Championship table and was most recently high performance manager for Cricket Japan

Cricket Scotland have appointed Mark Coles as the new head coach of Scotland Women.

The New Zealander will become the first full-time head coach of the women’s national team, replacing Steve Knox who held the role on a part-time basis for the past five years.

Coles, a coach with over 20 years’ professional experience, was head coach of Pakistan Women from 2017 to 2019, leading his side to the brink of qualification for the 2021 Cricket World Cup with a fifth-place finish in the ICC Women’s Championship. He was most recently the high performance manager for Cricket Japan.

Scotland are currently ranked 13th in the ICC T20 rankings and will be focussing on the ICC T20 World Cup European qualifiers and qualification for the 2022 Commonwealth Games over the next 12 months.

Commenting on his appointment, Coles said: "I am very humbled to be given the opportunity to work with such a talented group and I am extremely excited about what we can achieve. Scotland is a wonderful sporting nation with a rich sporting history.

"I have no doubt that when we play, we will be playing with the pride, passion, and bravery that the Scottish people are known for around the world."

BREAKING: We're delighted to welcome Mark Coles as new full-time Head Coach of the women's national team. Read the full story here: https://t.co/Bb4hVIPw7h

— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) February 18, 2021

Meanwhile, Cricket Scotland CEO, Gus Mackay added: "Mark's appointment as full-time coach of our women’s national team represents a big step forward for women’s cricket in this country.

"We conducted a robust recruitment process for this role, considering candidates with a wide range of cricket backgrounds from around the world. Mark's experience and achievements with Pakistan made him a standout candidate for the role.

"I would like to extend my thanks to Mark's predecessor Steve Knox for the excellent work that he did as head coach in a part-time capacity over the last five years."