List of Cricket Coaches Who Were Sacked From Their Coaching Roles 

Although cricket is often hailed as a game of eleven players doing their best on the field, the coaches of a cricket team who give everything in training the cricketers and bringing the best out of them on the field even under the most intense pressure situations on the field are often overlooked. The history of cricket as the world’s most popular sport has witnessed numerous top-notch coaches who have been ace cricketers themselves.

Contrary to what is generally portrayed, the role of cricket coaches extend far beyond the boundaries of cricket for they are actively involved in training the cricketers physically as well as mentally in order to keep them in the right frame of mind. Although coaches are often exalted as the most crucial element of a cricket team, the history of the game has also witnessed their sudden departures as they were sacked by their respective teams and felt a bit down in the dumps. 

In this article, we will examine the top five prominent cricket coaches who were sacked from their coaching roles for shocking reasons.

• Table of Contents

  Toggle

  Greg Chappell

On the first spot on our list of top five prominent cricket coaches who were sacked from their coaching roles we have former Australian cricketer and a highly-revered cricket coach, Greg Chappell. After announcing his retirement in 1984, Greg Chappell coached the South Australian cricket team in the late 1990s and also served as a consultant for the Pakistan’s National cricket Academy in 2004.

Greg Chappell adorned the role of a cricket coach for the Indian national cricket team in May 2005 role of cricket coach for the Indian national cricket team back in 2005 and was sacked from his coaching role after India’s exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup. In addition to the humiliating defeat at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Greg Chappell’s conflict with the senior players of the team including Sourav Ganguly also was one of the major reasons that led to Chappell’s early removalfrom the Indian cricket team.

• Anil Kumble

Legendary Indian former international cricketer who took up the coaching role post his retirement from cricket in 2008 is on the second spot in our list of top five prominent cricket coaches who were sacked from their coaching roles. Anil Kumble was appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team on 24 June 2016.

Although fans anticipated Kumble to re-create the same magic with his coaching role as he did being a phenomenal cricketer for Indian side, he ended up resigning from his position as the head coach of the Indian cricket team shortly after the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy due to his unavoidable difference with the then captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli.

• Russell Domingo

On the third spot on our list of top five prominent cricket coaches who were sacked from their coaching roles we have former head coach of the Bangladesh National cricket team, Russell Craig Domingo who has also coached the South Africa national cricket team from 2012 to 2017.

Russell Domingo was sacked by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after Bangladesh’s poor performance in Bangladesh vs India test Series of 2022. Although Russell Domingo’s contract officially ran till the 2023 World Cup, he was officially removed as the head coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team before completing his stated tenure.

• Mickey Arthur

Mickey Arthur was undoubtedly one of the most prominent names in the South African domestic cricket era that lasted from 1986 to 2001. After announcing his retirement from domestic cricket, Mickey Arthur was appointed as the head coach for the Australian cricket team in 2010. Mickey Arthur’s style of coaching was considered extremely orthodox and authoritative by most of the cricketers in the Australian cricket team which led to numerous controversies. 

The most infamous “homework gate” controversy during the Australia tour to India in 2013  where Mickey Arthur suspended four Australian cricketers including the then vice-captain Shane Watson as they failed to complete a task assigned to them. Many such controversial instances led to the removal of Mickey Arthur as the head coach of the Australian national cricket team.

• Andy Flower

On the fifth spot on our list of top five prominent cricket coaches who were sacked from their coaching roles we have Andy Flower. Often hailed as one of the most influential coaches in the world, Andy Flower has coached numerous teams including Multan Sultans, St Lucia Kings, Pakistan Super League, Trent Rockets, Royal Challengers Bangalore and many others.

Andy Flower served as the head coach of the English cricket team from 2009 to 2014. Although Andy Flower proved to be a triumphant coach for the English side who led the team to a formidable victory at the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, he was sacked in 2014 for his controversies with the most prominent English cricketers including Kevin Peterson.

Also Read: How many fielding positions are there in cricket, what is cow corner?