Photo Credit: Islamabad United
Islamabad United, the most successful franchise in HBL PSL history and the winner of the first and third edition of the tournament, has announced today that Johan Botha will be the Head Coach of the franchise in PSL 6. Botha had previously worked as the Fielding Coach for Islamabad United in PSL 2.
The former South African international played over a hundred matches for his national team, including 21 games as the captain of the Proteas. He took 126 wickets in his international career and played over 200 T20 matches in leagues all around the world including the Big Bash, Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League and in South Africa. Since retiring from international cricket he has been part of the coaching staff at Islamabad United prior to taking the Head Coach role at Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL.
Regarding his appointment Botha said “I am very happy to be back at Islamabad United, the franchise where I got my first taste of the Pakistan Super League at PSL 2. Since then I have had different experiences at the PSL as well as a range of coaching stints at various tournaments around the world. My plan is to bring all these experiences together and hopefully create another memorable PSL for Islamabad United.”
Ali Naqvi, the Owner of the Franchise, said, “Johan was part of our team back in 2017 and his subsequent success across the world in T20 leagues would not be a surprise to anyone who had seen him work back then. He provides the progressive understanding of T20 cricket that we pride ourselves on, and we are confident that he will do his utmost in achieving our shared goals.”
Islamabad United is the most successful team of the Pakistan Super League (PSL); winner of the first and third seasons of the HBL PSL. The franchise believes in bringing change to Pakistani sports with the introduction of international standards of practice and a commitment to continuous progress.
AAN – Leonine Sports is the proud owner of Islamabad United, the FIRST CHAMPIONS and the most successful team in the Pakistan Super League. AAN-Leonine Sports is focused on enabling sports and creating franchises with a mission to provide: 1) A truly global experience on sports entertainment; 2) A fan base which is loyal, aware and supportive of the sport and the franchise; 3) An aspirational beacon for up and coming players to strive for excellence in cricket for Pakistan in particular and for the world at large; 4) An eco-system for the promotion of sports through close partnerships with the respective sports boards; 5) A truly professionally-run organization with exceptional standards of corporate governance and international best practices; 6) Promotion of Pakistan through sports and involvement of internationally known figures into Pakistan; 7) A responsible member on CSR.
The company focuses on the above mission statement by implementing a strategy built around the principle of 4 Es – Excellence, Empowerment, Education and Environment.
