Photo Credit: Lions Cricket
Lions Cricket would like to warmly welcome full time batting coach Michael Smith.
Following his extensive playing days Michael turned to coaching and after his stint as batting coach of Islamabad United in the 2021 PSL T20 League, Smith was appointed as Tuskers Head Coach last season, guiding the team to One Day Cup glory in the second Division.
Smith says he’s extremely honoured and humbled by this opportunity;
“I’m incredibly excited to work within one of the most successful cricket environments in South Africa, and to be able to work with the caliber of coaches, players and staff at one of the most iconic stadiums in the country and cricketing world, is something that I’m really looking forward to. I absolutely cannot wait to get stuck in.”
Central Gauteng Lions Vice President and Pipeline Chair Earl Glennistor says that Michael Smiths passion is quite unrivalled;
“ ‘It takes two flints to make a fire’. I think the Lions found this in Micheal Smith. His passion to make a difference in the sport is evident. At Lions, we learn from those we work with and then follow through with such learnings and execute as best we know how. We identified a gap in our system and believe that we’ve now plugged it for the future. Micheal will be an important cog in our cricketing machine, set to churn out the batters for both the DP World Lions and all those feeding through our pipeline.
DP World Lions Head Coach Wandile Gwavu says he’s super excited with this appointment;
“We are thrilled to have a coach who has ‘been there and done that’. He has extensive playing experience with over 100 First Class matches to his name and has been coaching for probably 11 years now, specializing as a batting coach for the last 7 or so. This specialist coaching role is a skill in short supply in my opinion, and add to that his playing career, he will be a tremendous asset. I’m looking forward to the impact that he’s going to have in our team, as well as the relationships that are set to be built and individuals to thrive. I’m looking forward to the success we’re set to achieve and I cannot wait for him to meet the team, and really get going.”
