Zimbabwe Announce Mark Coles as New Women’s Team Head Coach

Zimbabwe Cricket have appointed experienced New Zealand coach Mark Coles as the substantive Head Coach of the Zimbabwe senior women’s national team. The appointment was confirmed on September 7 following a rigorous recruitment process, with Coles set to begin his tenure ahead of Zimbabwe’s upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa Women. The series begins on September 11 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Mark Coles Brings International Experience Coles brings considerable international coaching experience to the Zimbabwe setup. The New Zealand coach has previously served as head coach of both the Pakistan and Scotland women’s national teams. He has also worked with Scotland’s men’s team and held the position of High Performance Manager at Cricket Papua New Guinea. In addition, Coles has taken up coaching consultancy roles in Australia. His experience across different international environments is expected to help Zimbabwe build a stronger and more competitive women’s programme. A Key Appointment for Zimbabwe Women Coles takes charge at an important stage for Zimbabwe Women. The team made its historic debut in the ICC Women’s Championship earlier this year and began the four-year Championship cycle with away assignments in New Zealand and Pakistan. Zimbabwe’s upcoming programme includes tours of India and Bangladesh, along with home series against South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Ireland. The ICC Women’s Championship serves as the qualification pathway for the 2029 Women’s Cricket World Cup, making the appointment of a permanent head coach particularly significant. Zimbabwe Cricket Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said Coles’ international and high-performance experience would be important as the women’s team enters a new phase. New Support Staff Named Coles will work with a settled support structure. Rangarirai Manyande has been appointed Assistant Coach with a batting focus, while Trevor Phiri will serve as Fielding Coach. Faith Dube will handle strength and conditioning, Farai Mabasa has been appointed physiotherapist, Keith Kulinga will work as the team analyst and former captain Mary-Anne Musonda will serve as team manager. Zimbabwe Cricket has also retained Travor Garwe as head coach of the Zimbabwe Under-19 Women’s team. Coles’ First Challenge Against South Africa The new head coach will have little time to settle in, with Zimbabwe Women preparing to face South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting September 11. The series will provide Coles with his first opportunity to work with the senior squad in an international series and begin shaping the team ahead of a busy Championship schedule. With Zimbabwe aiming to establish itself on the international stage, the appointment of Mark Coles represents an important step in building a long-term structure for women’s cricket in the country.