Top 5 Cricketers Who Served As Coaches After Their Retirement

There’s not even a single doubt about the fact that coaches are the most integral part of any country’s national cricket team and on top of that, when these coaches have already spent a majority of their lives experiencing the gruesome pressure situations of representing their country on an international cricketing level across all three formats, including tests, one-day internationals and T20 internationals their job to train cricketers for attaining their best potential on the field against the opponent teams gets even more thrilling and value-driven.

Over the years, numerous legendary cricketers, including Kirsten Gary, Rahul Dravid, Andy Flower and many others, have transitioned into professional coaching for their respective teams after announcing their official retirement from all formats of international cricket.

In this article, we will take a look at the top five legendary cricketers who have also served as coaches after their retirement from cricket.

Top 5 Cricketers Who Served As Coaches After Their Retirement

1. Andy Flower 

Former Zimbabwean international cricketer and current coach of the Zimbabwe national cricket team, Andy Flower, is at the first spot in our list of the top five legendary cricketers who have also served as coaches after their retirement from cricket. Often hailed as one of the greatest and finest batsmen and wicketkeepers in the history of Zimbabwean cricket, Andy Flower witnessed an extremely glorious and immersive cricketing career that spanned over a decade from 1992 to 2003.

Andy Flower has achieved phenomenal milestones and has a string of records under his name, including the most Test career runs (i.e., 4794*), the highest Test batting average (i.e., 51.5), and the most ODI career runs (i.e., 6786*).

Andy Flower officially announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket after the turbulent 2003 World Cup and was appointed as the assistant coach for the England cricket team in 2007. Additionally, Andy Flower was also appointed as the head coach for Multan Sultans, St Zoukia Zouks, in 2020 and an assistant coach for Kings XI Punjab in 2021.

2. Mohammed Javed Miandad 

On the second spot on our list of the top five legendary cricketers who have also served as coaches after their retirement from cricket, we have former Pakistan’s international cricketer and skipper Mohammed Javed Miandad. Often hailed as one of the most formidable and match-winning batsmen in the history of Pakistan’s cricket, Mohammed Javed Miandad’s legacy of unconventional batting and captaincy still stands firm in the annals of international cricket.

After being ranked at the 44th position in the list of ESPN’s Legends of Cricket, Mohammed Javed Miandad announced his retirement in 1996. Although Miandad’s sudden retirement was a heartbreaking call for a majority of his fans, the legendary Pakistani cricketer never really abandoned his love and passion for the sport and transitioned into a professional cricket coach after his retirement. Mohammed Javed Miandad was appointed as the official coach of Pakistan’s national cricket team in September 1998.

3. Gary Kirsten 

Former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten is at the third spot on our list of the top five legendary cricketers who have also served as coaches after their retirement from cricket. Gary Kirsten was a mainstay for the South African cricket team as an opening batsman for eleven long years from 1993 to 2004 and delivered numerous path-breaking, memorable and match-winning innings, including the most iconic 188* not out against the United Arab Emirates during the 1996 World Cup.

After witnessing an absolutely glorious cricketing career, Gary Kirsten announced his retirement from cricket in 2005 and was later appointed as the head coach for the Indian cricket team from 2008 to 2011. The legendary former South African cricketer later served as the coach for the South African cricket team from 2011 to 2013.

Although there were numerous anticipations about the renewal of Kirsten’s coaching contract, he stepped down as the coach of the South African cricket team due to family commitments.

4. Gautam Gambhir 

On the fourth spot on our list of the top five legendary cricketers who have also served as coaches after their retirement from cricket, we have former Indian cricketer, politician and current head coach of the Indian cricket team, Gautam Gambhir. Gautam Gambhir captained the Indian cricket team in a total of six ODIs from 2010-2011, making the Indian side clinch all of those six series.

Additionally, Gautam Gambhir’s breathtaking and iconic 97* runs off 122 deliveries innings also played a pivotal role in India’s victory at the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

Gautam Gambhir announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2019 and transitioned into politics in 2019 after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Gautam Gambhir debuted into the world of coaching with a mentorship contract with Lucknow SuperGiants for the IPL 2022–23 seasons.

On July 9, 2024, Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team, replacing the former head coach Rahul Dravid.

5. James Michael Anderson 

English spearhead bowler James Michael Anderson is at the fifth spot on our list of the top five legendary cricketers who have also served as coaches after their retirement from cricket. Anderson rose to prominence after his match-winning bowling spell at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2010. James Anderson announced his official retirement from the Test format recently in July 2024 after playing his career’s last test match against the West Indies on 10 July 2024 at the Lord’s in London.

Anderson holds the record for the highest number of wickets ever picked up by a fast bowler in test format, i.e., 704. Owing to his stellar achievements and path-breaking, unconventional and annihilating bowling form, James Anderson has been officially assigned as the head bowling coach for England’s cricket team.