Coaches are the unsung heroes behind the victories of our favourite teams. Amidst our cheers for the players, we ignore the ones who worked towards building the team and enhancing the skills. Of course, there are celebrated mentors like Mike Hesson, Tom Moody, Duncan Fletcher, John Wright, Gary Kirsten and the list goes on. Their contributions in the splendid performances of their teams on the field are registered in the cricket history.
Those who agreed to take charge of upskilling the game and moulding the best teams in the world were also on the receiving end of their job at one point in their career. Their experiences as a player play a major role in enabling them to understand the crests and troughs of the team. Their influence reflects in every game from the players. In fact, the players themselves attribute their efficiency to their trainers. But is the credit given everywhere it is due?
Trending
Over the years, many coaches have remained underrated for their roles. However, they continued to change the game of their teams. There are countless names in this list. But, here we have discussed five most underrated coaches who turned out to be extremely effective.
#5 David James Saker
This 50-year-old Australian was the most valuable player for the Victorian Bushranger back in the days. He was the Tigers’ player of the year in 2001-02 owing to his fantastic bowling display.
The year 2004 marked his coaching debut when he assisted Greg Shippered in Victoria. In 2010, he joined England as their fast bowling coach. Presently, he is acting as the fast bowling coach of the Australian Cricket team.
Saker played an important role in England's victory in the 2010-11 Ashes series. The bowling figures put up by the team represents one of their best performances and Saker was the man behind that achievement.
In fact, England registered 11 victories in 19 Test matches played under Saker as coach. Players like Clint Mckay, John Hastings and Peter Siddle tasted international glory after their successful games under the guidance of Saker.
| Teams Associated | Role | Years Active | Most Notable Performance/ Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Fast Bowling Coach | 2010-15 | 2010-11 Ashes Victory |
| Australia | Fast Bowling Coach | 2016- | Chappell – Hadley Trophy (2016) |
#4 Ottis Gibson
Yet another bowling coach, Ottis Gibson hails from West Indies. He made his debut as a coach in 2007 with team England. He later went on to become the head coach of West Indies in 2010 and returned to England in 2015 as their bowling mentor.
Gibson was the main reason behind the entry of the West Indies team in 2011 World Cup. His second term in England reached new heights after as a bowling coach in the 2016 World T-20 Cup, he helped the team in putting up one of the most successful figures in the tournament.
| Teams Associated | Role | Years Active | Most Notable Performance/Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Coach | 2007-09 | 2009 Champions Trophy |
| West Indies | Head Coach | 2010-14 | 2012 T-20 World Cup (Champions) |
| England | Bowling Coach | 2015- | 2016 T-20 World Cup (Runners up) |
#3 Venkatesh Prasad
This Indian bowler made his cricket debut in 1996 and won the title of Ceat International Cricketer of the year 1996-97. His ten-wicket haul against South Africa created a buzz across the realm of International cricket. He was the coach of India U-19 and the team went on to become the runners-up of 2006 World Cup.
He acted as the bowling coach for Indian cricket team from 2007-09. He then went on to become the coach of Chennai Super Kings and played a major role in the team's victory in Indian Premier League, 2010. At present, he serves as the bowling coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
| Teams Associated | Role | Years Active | Most Notable Performance/ Trophy |
|---|---|---|---|
| India (U-19) | Coach | 2005-07 | World Cup 2006 (Runners up) |
| India | Bowling Coach | 2007-09 | Pataudi Trophy (2007) |
| Chennai Super Kings | Bowling Coach | 2009-13 | IPL 2010 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bowling Coach | 2014- | IPL 2016 (Runners up) |
#2 Eric Simmons
The former South African all-rounder made his debut in coaching with his national team. He acted as the Consultant for Indian Cricket Tem's Bowling from 2010-12 and we witnessed India lifting the World Cup in 2011. He also worked a the bowling coach for Delhi Daredevils. Currently, he is acting as the bowling coach for IPL franchise, Rising Pune Supergiants.
| Teams Associated | Role | Years Active | Most Notable Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | Coach | 2002-04 | South Africa Tour of Pakistan – Test Series Victory |
| India | Bowling Coach | 2010-12 | ICC World Cup – 2011 (Champions) |
#1 Phil Simmons
The former all-rounder from West Indies holds the record for the longest-serving coach in International cricket. He first acted as the head coach for Zimbabwe cricket team in 2004.
In the year 2007, Ireland appointed him as the coach for its national cricket team and the team performed wonderfully under him. It was also the first time when they qualified for Cricket World cup. The team then won ICC Intercontinental Cup four times on the trot from 2005.
Simmons then moved to West Indies post-2015 World Cup as their head coach. He took a struggling team and made them the champions in the 2016 World T-20 Cup.
| Teams Associated | Role | Years Active | Most Notable Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Coach | 2007-15 | World Cup Qualifier – 2009 (Won) |
| West Indies | Coach | 2015-16 | World T-20 2016 (Champions) |
All these coaches played a crucial role in building their respective teams. However, for one reason or the other, their names were not commonly associated with victories. But in the silence, they played a major role in defining the forthcoming eras for their respective teams.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news
