Richard Pyrah to Lead Melbourne Stars in Upcoming WBBL Season

The Melbourne Stars have appointed former Yorkshire allrounder Richard Pyrah as their new head coach for the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season.

Pyrah, 43, will take over from Andy Christie, who will return to an assistant coaching role after guiding the Stars to the WBBL Knockout stage last season. The Stars were eliminated by the Perth Scorchers.

Christie’s move back to an assistant role was announced in July, allowing him to focus more closely on his responsibilities as head coach of Victoria’s women’s team in the WNCL.

Pyrah is currently in his third season as Yorkshire women’s coach and recently worked as an assistant with Sunrisers Leeds in the 2026 Women’s Hundred. During the tournament, he worked alongside Stars captain Annabel Sutherland, who was named Player of the Season.

The new Stars coach also has previous experience in Australia’s domestic cricket, having worked as a consultant with the Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers between 2015 and 2017.

Stars general manager James Rosengarten said Pyrah’s experience across both men’s and women’s cricket would strengthen the club, while retaining Christie in the coaching setup would provide valuable continuity.

The appointment comes as Melbourne’s WBBL rivals, the Melbourne Renegades, have also appointed Australia women’s assistant coach Gavan Twining as their new head coach for the upcoming season.

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