Tensions in Shared Leadership in Elite Women’s Cricket: Implications for Coaching

Many sports are shifting to shared leadership models, but cricket remains somewhat wedded to traditional models of leadership. Female cricket especially might challenge this traditional model. Understanding how players and coaches have similar, or differing, views can inform how to implement contemporary leadership models into cricket and extend conceptions of athlete leadership. Therefore, this study examined how the coach and players have similar or differing understandings of shared athlete leadership in their cricket team. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was adopted. Semistructured interviews were conducted with three female cricket players and their male coach. Results suggest that the coach and players value the social leadership skills of the captain more than the task leadership skills, whereas informal athlete leaders are relied on by the captain to provide tactical guidance. Nonetheless, there were different expectations regarding the role of athlete leaders. While the coach expected athlete leaders to deliver his message to the rest of the team, players wanted athlete leaders who maintained lines of communication among the players, and with the coach. Therefore, this study offers another perspective on leadership that is fluid and promotes collaboration to appoint and develop appropriate leaders who are accepted by all team members.