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In a strategic move aimed at reviving their fortunes, the Melbourne Stars have appointed a veteran Victorian coach as the new head coach of their women’s team for the upcoming two seasons of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). The decision comes in the aftermath of another underwhelming campaign for the Stars, who finished at the bottom of the table last season.
Melbourne Stars appoints a new head coach
The club has decided to part ways with English coach Jonathan Batty, whose three-year tenure failed to deliver the results the franchise had hoped for. Despite consistent efforts, the Stars could not secure a single finals appearance under his leadership. Their most recent campaign saw just two wins from ten matches — a clear indicator of the need for a change in direction. They have now appointed Andrew Christie as their new head coach.
Christie steps into the role with a solid coaching résumé, having led Victoria in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) and previously guided Dandenong to a premiership in Women’s Premier Cricket. Since joining Cricket Victoria in 2021, Christie has also worked extensively with emerging female players, contributing to their development across the state.
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New coach backs squad potential while embracing the challenge ahead
Christie expressed his gratitude to the Melbourne Stars for entrusting him with the role and showed confidence in the squad’s potential to bounce back and compete for a spot in the WBBL finals. At the same time, he acknowledged the tough road ahead, emphasizing the need for collective hard work and collaboration with key support staff like T20 high performance manager Clint McKay and the coaching unit to maximise the team’s performance.
“I’d like to thank the Melbourne Stars for their faith in me, and I truly believe we have the group that can return this club back to the WBBL finals. It’s a big challenge ahead of us with plenty of hard work to be undertaken, but I look forward to working with Clint McKay, our T20 high performance manager, and the other coaches to ensure we get the best out of this group,” said Christie as quoted by Melbourne Stars.
Notably, the Stars have only reached the playoffs once in their WBBL history — during the BBL|06 edition — and Christie will now be tasked with ending their long-standing struggle for consistency and building a squad capable of making a deep run in the tournament.
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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
