Can cricket coaching be performed remotely? Former Pakistani head coach turns this elusive notion into a reality

Former Pakistani head coach Mickey Arthur will remotely oversee Rangpur Riders' title defence in GSL 2025 while being as far as 7500 KM away. Arthur is currently in the UK and has an active coaching contract with Derbyshire in Division Two of the 2025 County Championship. Due to his ongoing coaching commitments with Derbyshire, Arthur has been forced to stay back and will be monitoring Rangpur Riders from another corner of the world. 

The GSL 2025 will be staged in Guyana starting from July 10. Arthur's unavailability for the second edition of the GSL was made public by Rangpur's director, Shanian Taneem. 

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So how will the physical absence of the head coach impact the defending champions? 

While Arthur will not be physically present with the team throughout the entirety of the tournament, the franchise has immense faith in his abilities. In order to fill the void, it was decided to appoint Greg Smith, who will be in charge of the players in person. Greg will be in constant touch with the head coach on a virtual basis. It is believed that Arthur fully backs Greg and has a lot of faith in him. Whilst actively coaching Derbyshire, Arthur will continue to relay his instructions and feedback to his players via Greg.

"As the English County Championship is ongoing and Mickey is coaching Derbyshire County Cricket Club, he is unavailable at the moment. 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."

Furthermore, the team director also added that Arthur's inputs were previously taken when the team was being formed ahead of the league. 

"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."

In terms of technological advancement, the world has come a long way. With the advent of highly sophisticated tech, the world has become a small place, and long distances no longer seem to be a barrier anymore when it comes to facilitating seamless communication. But there also comes the downside.

While there are tools available that foster effective communication, this form of coaching can minimize physical player interaction and can also open up chances of miscommunication, especially during crunch games. To drive overall excellence and player growth, face-to-face coaching is necessary to foster a social bonding between players and coaches.