Cricket South Africa names Dinesha Devnarain as Women's U19 head coach
As part of her new role, Devnarain will manage the player development structures.
DUBAI (Web Desk) – Cricket South Africa has appointed former South Africa all-rounder Dinesha Devnarain in a dual role as the first full-time Women’s U19 and Women’s National Academy head coach on Monday, 6 April, International Cricket Council reported.
"As part of her new role, Devnarain will manage the player development structures, with particular attention in identifying promising young talent with the prospect of playing for the Proteas," CSA stated in a media release.
Devnarain, who has made 29 ODI and 22 T20I appearances for South Africa, was serving as the assistant coach of the National Academy since 2017. She has now signed a three-year deal and will work with the team to prepare them for the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in 2021.
Jacques Faul, the interim CEO of CSA, said Devnarain’s appointment "is great news for the growth of women’s cricket in South Africa".
"Part of empowering women within cricket is not only managing the player pipeline but by elevating female coaching staff, who will produce players that can perform at the highest level," he added. "As a former player, Dinesha understands the women’s landscape and her pedigree proves itself.
"Dinesha will be working with aspiring female cricketers with the aim of closing the gap between the national and emerging teams. This is vitally important, given the number of senior Proteas players who will be nearing the end of their careers in two or three years’ time."
Devnarain said she’s excited about her new roles, adding: "It’s a very important tier – being in between the provincial structures and the national team. The one major positive about South African cricket is that there is a lot of talent and skill within our provincial structures. What I’m looking forward to is identifying players with potential and nurturing that potential in a high-performance environment."
