Melbourne Stars Turn to Pyrah as Christie Shifts to Assistant Role

Melbourne Stars have appointed Richard Pyrah as their new head coach for the upcoming WBBL season, with Andy Christie stepping back into an assistant role after guiding the franchise to the Knockout stage last summer.

Welcome to the Stars Family, Richard Pyrah 🤝

We’ve made some updates to strengthen our coaching department ahead of WBBL|12 🌟

Details 👉 https://t.co/LxO6TUbVmJ pic.twitter.com/9Y0Xid1BT8

— Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL) August 25, 2026

The move, confirmed on Tuesday, sees the 43-year-old Yorkshire women’s coach take charge of the Stars’ WBBL campaign. Pyrah is currently in his third season with Yorkshire and recently worked as an assistant with Sunrisers Leeds in the women’s Hundred, where he coached Stars captain Annabel Sutherland during her Player of the Season campaign. Sutherland’s Sunrisers reached the final before falling to Trent Rockets.

Christie, who led the Stars to the Knockout before a defeat to Perth Scorchers, will remain within the programme. His decision to step back was announced in July, allowing him to focus more on his head coach duties with Victoria in the WNCL while retaining a role with the Stars.

Pyrah brings a varied portfolio to the role. A former Yorkshire allrounder, he has previously worked in the BBL as a consultant with Melbourne Renegades and Adelaide Strikers between 2015 and 2017. His experience spans both men’s and women’s programmes, a factor Stars general manager James Rosengarten highlighted as a key attraction.

“He is an experienced coach across both women’s and men’s programs and will bring a diverse skillset to the team,” Rosengarten said. “This move is all about strengthening our club. Andy did a sensational job last season guiding our team to the WBBL finals, and having him remain a part of the program was important to us. He already coaches a number of our players across the Victorian women’s team, so to have that continuity leading into the WBBL season will be an asset for us.”

Pyrah’s appointment follows a similar move across town, with Melbourne Renegades naming Australia women’s assistant coach Gavan Twining as their WBBL head coach for the upcoming season. Twining replaced Simon Helmot, who departed to coach Gulf Giants in the ILT20.

The Stars will be hoping Pyrah can build on Christie’s foundations and go one better than last season’s Knockout exit. With Sutherland continuing as captain and Pyrah’s familiarity with her game from their time together at Sunrisers, the franchise will be confident of a strong campaign when the WBBL gets underway later this year.

                                               

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