Troy Cooley’s tenure as the fast bowling coach at the Center of Excellence (CoE) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will soon end. The BCCI is now expected to appoint a new fast bowling coach at the Bengaluru-based facility in the near future, and they are also looking for a new sports science head.
Cooley joins India’s high-performance setup in late 2021 with a clear focus on developing the next generation of fast bowlers. During his tenure, he played a key role in shaping the fast bowling talent at the BCCI’s Center of Excellence, working closely with cricket chief VVS Laxman.
Cooley also held important coaching roles with Indian teams. He served as the bowling coach for the Indian women’s team at the T20 World Cup in South Africa in early 2023 and later worked with the India men’s A team during the tour of England.
His tenure has ended and December 31 is his last day – Devjit Saikia
The BCCI has decided to end its relationship with Troy Cooley, with the Australian coach set to step down from his role at the Center of Excellence. According to a report in Times of India, his tenure as fast bowling coach has ended and the board will soon take steps to appoint a replacement.
BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia confirmed that Coolie was part of the setup from 2021 and his exit also aligns with him reaching the retirement age of 60. December 31 will be his last day with the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Saikia told TOI, “Coolie was serving in the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy since 2021. His tenure has ended and he has also reached the retirement age (60). December 31 is his last day.”
We had shortlisted three or four candidates – Devjit Saikia
The BCCI is yet to fill the vacant role of head of sports science at its Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, a position that has been open since Nitin Patel stepped down from the post nearly nine months ago. Despite the board getting closer to a final decision, delays continue.
Devjit Saikia said the board had shortlisted a small group of candidates and was close to appointing Andrew Leaps to lead the medical team. However, Leipus withdrew at the last minute due to personal reasons. Saikia said that the BCCI is expected to finalize a new candidate soon.
Saikia said, “We had shortlisted three or four candidates, including Leepas. Leepas was ready to join, but he had to drop out at the last moment due to personal reasons. We will soon finalize a new candidate.”
BCCI Center of Excellence faces staff shortage as key roles remain vacant
Many important roles are still vacant in BCCI’s Center of Excellence. Last month, Rajib Dutta’s tenure as bowling coach and head faculty ended, and the board has advertised for new batting and bowling coaches.
The BCCI had recently invited applications for the role of Head of Cricket Education after Sujit Somasundar left to take up a role at the Karnataka State Cricket Association. Notably, the deadline has passed but there is no update on when the appointment will take place.
With players from both the men’s and women’s teams playing across all formats, the workload on cricketers is increasing. Indian cricket needs to fill these positions soon to ensure proper care and planning of the players.
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