SA20: Ex-England coach Lisa Keightley backs more women to coach in men's game

Ex-England coach Lisa Keightley says she "does not see a reason" why more women cannot coach in men's cricket.

Australian Keightley, 51, left her role with England's women after three years at the end of the summer.

In January she will work as a tactical performance coach with Paarl Royals in South Africa's new Twenty20 league.

"I've coached domestically and internationally for 17 years so there's definitely something I can offer to the men's game," the Australian said.

"Providing a different way of looking at strategies and bringing in some positive things from the women's game should make an impact.

"I would love for more female coaches to come and contribute to the men's game."

Keightley said she was approached for the role by Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara, the Royals' director of cricket, who was interested in appointing a female coach to offer a "different perspective to the game".

She will assist head coach JP Duminy, the former South Africa batter.

"With England I was really big on the tactical aspect and bringing the analytical part into play, and then working out strategies on which bowlers and which batters match up," Keightley said.

Former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor became the first female coach in men's franchise cricket when working with Team Abu Dhabi in the 2021 T10 League.

She was also an assistant coach with Manchester Originals' men during The Hundred this year.

Matthew Mott led England to the men's T20 World Cup title in November, having been appointed earlier this year after achieving significant success with Australia's women's team.

"If we could cross over like that, that would be pretty special," Keightley said.

The inaugural season of the SA20 - a six-team franchise tournament where all teams have been bought by Indian Premier League owners - starts on 10 January.

England white-ball captain Jos Buttler will play for the Royals alongside team-mate Jason Roy and former England skipper Eoin Morgan.

Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone will feature for MI Cape, who have also signed England bowler Jofra Archer as their wildcard signing.

Archer has not played since July 2021 because of injury.

This article originally appeared on BBC Sport

Photo: Getty Images