Ranking top 10 current coaches in world cricket

6. Mickey Arthur

Mickey Arthur is a name which is ever popular in the coaching circles in modern-day cricket. The South African never got to play international cricket but yet during his playing days, he commanded universal respect through his dedication and displayed abundant attributes of a decent coach. The man also has had a diverse coaching career, spending time with teams across the world.

After retiring from the game in 2001, Arthur coached first-class side Griqualand West followed by Eastern Cape and helped them reach the finals of the Standard Bank Pro20 series. In 2005, Arthur became the Proteas’ national coach succeeding Ray Jennings – a development which had surprised many.

Arthur did not have a happy beginning as South Africa were beaten by Australia in Test series both at home and away but since that historic Johannesburg win over the Kangaroos in 2006, Arthur and former captain Graeme Smith managed to run their country’s cricket operations successfully. Besides reaching the semi-finals of the 2007 World Cup, South Africa under Arthur’s coaching won their first series in England (since the end of apartheid) and the maiden series victory Down Under.

After completing his South Africa stint in 2010, Arthur became the coach of Western Australia and then took over as the first foreign-born coach of Australia. The journey did not go too well and Arthur got sacked ahead of the 2013 Ashes in England. He continued coaching for various T20 teams (Karachi Kings and Dhaka Dynamites) and in 2016, became the head coach of Pakistan. His stint went till 2019 and in early 2020, Arthur became the coach of Sri Lanka.

Recently, Arthur stepped down as the Sri Lankan coach and started coaching English county team Derbyshire. He said that coaching the England national team was something he did not think about, but he is open to returning to international coaching in future.

The 53-year-old Arthur’s endurance in coaching has been aided by the fact that he possesses the basic qualities of a coach. The man is passionate about his work and it becomes evident when the nervous energy overwhelms him in the dugouts. The man also attaches the maximum significance to the players’ well-being and believes in the positives that defeats bring. It is no surprise that South Africa has emerged as a hub of successful coaches and people like Arthur should be credited for doing pioneering work.