Chanderpaul named USA senior and U-19 women’s head coach
Peter Della Penna
Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been appointed the new USA head coach for their senior women’s and the Under-19 women’s teams.
USA Cricket announced that Chanderpaul had agreed to a contract that begins this week, with the junior squad’s participation in the CWI women’s U-19 Rising Stars T20 Championship in Trinidad, and will run through to the end of 2023. Over that stretch, USA will have appearances in the 2023 T20 World Cup qualifier, scheduled to take place later this year, as well as the inaugural U-19 women’s World Cup, where USA will be one of 16 teams competing in South Africa in January.
“I am excited to have been appointed as the Head Coach of the USA National Women’s Team and Women’s Under 19 Team,” Chanderpaul said in a USA Cricket press statement. “The Women’s game is something I am a huge advocate of, and I have followed the progress of the USA Women’s National team with keen interest. I’ve enjoyed being involved in American cricket over the years as a resident of Orlando, so to be given this opportunity to become the Head Coach for USA Cricket is an incredible one. I’m really looking forward to using my 20+ years of international cricket and my recent coaching experiences, to help the women’s teams progress to World Cups in years to come, particularly the inaugural Under 19 Cricket World Cup in January.”
Chanderpaul replaced former Australia international Julia Price in the position with the senior team and former Pakistan batter Asif Mujtaba with the junior team. Price had been in her role for three years after being brought on board in 2019, but her contract was not renewed earlier this year after USA Cricket announced in May that it would combine the two roles.
The body also said that it was seeking someone who would agree to be based in the USA through the year. Price was based in Australia and had travelled back and forth for her commitments during her tenure. Mujtaba, though a Texas resident for more than a decade, has a full-time job in the hospitality industry.
Chanderpaul has been living in Orlando, Florida since 2005 and has been involved in local cricket in a big way. He is a long-time member of Sarasota International Cricket Club, which is located just south of Tampa and is also known for counting the late Richie Benaud as a member and official patron of the club.
In addition to playing and doing coaching work in Florida, Chanderpaul has made numerous visits over the years with his club to take part in the Philadelphia International Cricket Festival in Pennsylvania.
Chanderpaul first hinted at future involvement in USA’s coaching set-up in July 2016 when he went to Lauderhill to take part in a Cricket Australia coaching seminar geared toward North America-based coaches, that coincided with the CPL’s first season of hosting matches in Florida.
“Since I’ve been living out here, I’m trying to get involved in the cricket out here and trying to help out as much as I can,” Chanderpaul told ESPNcricinfo in an interview at the time. “All the knowledge that you gain over the years playing international cricket, it’s good to pass that on. I think in the US, it’s a good place where the young [cricketers] need someone like me with the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained over the years to help them out here with the cricket.”
Aside from his USA coaching duties, Chanderpaul is also the current head coach of the Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL, which is slated to run from August 30 through September 30. He has previously served as a batting consultant for the West Indies men’s U-19 team.
“We are thrilled to have attracted someone of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s caliber to work with both the Women’s Senior and U19 Teams as Women’s Head Coach, and lead them onto the global stage,” Richard Done, USA Cricket operations director, said. “We have an exciting crop of young cricketers, of which many are already making their mark at senior level. Combining the two roles will provide coaching consistency across teams for those players as they develop.
“Apart from his distinguished playing career of 454 Test, ODI, and T20I matches, and captaining West Indies, Shivnarine comes to USA Cricket with head coach experience in the CPL, and having worked closely with both male and female elite players in the West Indies, and internationally. This depth of experience will be invaluable, not only in his primary role, but to the development of the wider high-performance player and coaching pathways in the USA. Shivnarine’s passion for the Women’s game and long-standing links with American cricket made him the stand-out candidate from the recruitment process that saw much interest.”
