Mickey Arthur to remotely coach Rangpur GSL title defense as part of his obligations as Derbyshire head coach.
Mickey Arthur to oversee Rangpur’s GSL title defence remotely.
Despite not being able to attend the event in Guyana, Mickey Arthur will be in charge of the Rangpur Riders’ Global Super League title defence next month. According to Rangpur’s team director Shanian Taneem, Arthur will perform the work remotely from Derbyshire, which is 7500 kilometres away.
In a similar arrangement with Pakistan, Arthur managed tactics from a distance while serving as team director and carrying out his duties as Derbyshire’s head coach in 2023.
The second season of the GSL, which starts on July 10, will see Rangpur return as the reigning champions. The Guyana Amazon Warriors, Central Stags, Hobart Hurricanes, and Dubai Capitals are the other teams competing in the competition.
When Rangpur won the first-ever GSL last year, Arthur was their head coach. He will not be physically present at the GSL this time around because he will be coaching Derbyshire in Division Two of the County Championship at the same time.
“As the English County Championship is ongoing and Mickey is coaching Derbyshire County Cricket Club, he is unavailable at the moment,” Shanian said during a jersey unveiling ceremony in Dhaka. “Therefore, we are appointing Greg Smith as our head coach. He is someone Mickey fully trusts. Mickey will stay connected with the players and continue to offer his input. Greg will lead the team under Mickey’s guidance.
“Mickey Arthur was our head coach during the previous Global Super League and the last edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. We have strong confidence in his abilities. While forming our squad, we remained in constant touch with him and discussed which players would perform well on Guyana’s pitches.”
Since 2023, Nurul Hasan has been Rangpur’s captain and will serve as their leader. They have also kept Harmeet Singh, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Saif Hassan, and Soumya Sarkar from their 2024 team. Their international team consists of Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran, Pakistan all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed, South Africa wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, and West Indies batsman Kyle Mayers.