The Pakistani women’s cricket team is undergoing a major change as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) moves to remove Wahab Riaz from his position and appoint a foreign head coach. The need to assemble a competitive team in advance of the 2028 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which Pakistan is slated to host, is one of the factors influencing the board’s decision.
PCB moves to remove Wahab Riaz from his position and appoint a foreign head coach
In December 2025, Wahab took over as head coach of the women’s team, which had had at least six different head coaches since 2020. But outcomes under his direction have fallen short of expectations. The team’s lackluster performances in the Women’s T20 format and struggles in bilateral series against Sri Lanka added to the frustration that had already grown from a dismal ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup campaign in India, where Pakistan struggled against Sri Lanka among other opponents.
The coaching instability predates Wahab’s arrival, according to NDTV. Following that same World Cup setback, Muhammad Wasim was fired as head coach in November 2024, and the PCB is currently looking for a more long-term solution by hiring someone abroad. Wahab was appointed coach of the Pakistani women’s team at the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 as recently as October 27, 2026, which makes the timing of the reported change even more noteworthy.
The board’s desire for a foreign coach is based on both historical precedent and current concerns. Some of Pakistan’s women’s better performances are attributed to foreign coaches David Hemp and Mark Coles. Coles was the team’s first coach from 2017 to 2019, and he briefly returned in 2023. The outcomes of those years have influenced the PCB’s perspective.
The board’s belief that new international expertise is needed to stabilize the program and raise standards has been strengthened by recent underperformance and the size of the 2028 hosting responsibility.
The PCB has established a strict internal deadline for finishing the appointment. The new coach will be in place prior to the women’s team’s upcoming international assignment, a tour of the West Indies, a source told NDTV. As of this writing, there has been no official announcement confirming Wahab’s departure, and the names of the candidates being considered have not been made public.
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However, it seems clear that the board intends to have a new coaching structure in place well in advance of that tour, allowing the new coach time to evaluate the team and start getting ready for the 2028 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
