RAWALPINDI (The Thursday Times) — Rawalpindiz have appointed former Australia Test batter Adam Voges as their head coach for the 12th edition of the Pakistan Super League, the franchise said, as it looks to recover from a last-place finish in its first season.
The franchise said it had chosen its head coach before its players so that the team’s style of play could be settled first and the squad built around it. It called Voges “the right person to lead that approach” and described the cricket it wants to play as “bold, loud and fearless”.
“One of the most successful coaches in modern domestic cricket, Voges will set how The Pindiz play and lead the squad built to play that way,” the franchise said in a statement.
A winning record at home
Voges, 47, played 20 Tests for Australia and finished with a batting average of 61.87, alongside one-day and Twenty20 internationals, before his international career ended in 2016.
He has since built one of the strongest coaching records in Australian domestic cricket. He led Western Australia to Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup titles and took the Perth Scorchers to Big Bash League titles, before stepping down from the state job at the end of last season to concentrate on franchise cricket. He also coached the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket in the United States this year.
The franchise also pointed to his record of bringing through young players, noting that Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Lance Morris, and Josh Philippe all made their Australia debuts under his watch.
From the bottom of the table
Rawalpindiz, one of the league’s newest franchises, had a difficult first campaign. They won only one of their 10 league matches and finished at the bottom of the table with two points.
The appointment comes as franchises begin planning for the next season, in a busy year for Pakistani sport that also includes the South Asian Games, which Pakistan is due to host in April.
