England's Alex Hartley to become latest female coach of men's team with PSL job

Alex Hartley, the former England spinner, is to be appointed as a specialist spin bowling coach by Multan Sultans, the Pakistan Super League team – a role that could involve working with Adil Rashid.

Hartley, a World Cup winner in 2017, will become one of the first women to work in a coaching role in the professional men’s game. Leg-spinner Rashid, who is currently playing in the ODI World Cup in India, represented Multan in the last edition of the PSL and will work with Hartley if he is retained by the franchise. Retentions for the 2024 season are yet to be confirmed.

Multan are also set to appoint Catherine Dalton, who had a brief international career with Ireland, as a fast bowling coach. Hartley’s official job title will be assistant spin bowling coach. She will work alongside the chief spin bowling coach, who is yet to be announced.

Sarah Taylor, the former England women’s player, was appointed as wicketkeeping coach with Sussex in 2021 and has since worked for several other men’s teams, including Southern Brave in the Hundred. Taylor is believed to be the first female coach in the professional men’s game.

The appointments fit into a growing trend of women coaches getting opportunities in men’s sport. In July, Hannah Dingley had a brief spell as caretaker manager of Forest Green, becoming the first woman to take charge of a professional English Football League club.

‘Seamless and welcomed evolution’

Ali Tareen, the managing director of Multan Sultans, said that he hoped that the appointments would accelerate gender equality in the sport. In August, Sultans appointed Hijab Zahid as their general manager.

“At the Multan Sultans, we value the structural development of cricket as highly as success on the pitch,” Tareen said.

“One crucial aspect of this structural development is our unwavering focus on gender equity throughout the organisation. We take great pride in being guided by one of the world’s first female general managers in franchise cricket.

“Although exceptional women coaches exist globally, there has historically been a barrier hindering their entry into men’s teams as coaches – despite the fact that the opposite scenario is quite common.

“We would like to help break this barrier. At the Sultans, women coaches have been an integral part of our youth cricket academies for many years now, making their inclusion in our team a seamless and welcomed evolution.”

Hartley, who is 30, retired from the professional game in August. She represented England in 28 ODIs and four T20Is from 2016 to 2019, and took two vital wickets to help England defeat India in the 2017 World Cup final at Lord’s.

In recent years, Hartley has become a broadcaster with Test Match Special. She holds a Level 2 coaching qualification and has coached Lancashire age-group girls sides, but Multan will be her first major coaching job in either the men’s or women’s professional game.

“Alex was a dynamic player with a great work ethic,” Tareen said. “She has been working with young players at her county for a few years now and we are very excited to have her part of our coaching and development team.”

Dalton’s role comes after extensive involvement with players at the Multan Sultans academy in recent years. “She has made dramatic improvements to their skills and actions,” Tareen said.

The next edition of the PSL is due to begin in mid-February. Sultans won the 2021 title and were runners-up in 2022 and this year.