Sarah Coyte’s Australian indoor cricket challenge playing, captaining, coaching for NSW

Former Australian cricketer Sarah Coyte is both a player and a coach at the Australian indoor championships. And there is no doubt in her mind which is the harder job.

Sarah Coyte has three jobs at the Indoor Cricket national championship at Casey Stadium in Melbourne.

This week Sarah Coyte has to be one of the busiest women in Australian sport.

The 31-year-old former Australian gun is playing in and captain and coach of the NSW indoor cricket team at the Australian championships in Melbourne this week.

She will then turn her hand back to straight coaching of the U14 team along with some mentoring.

Coyte played more than 80 matches for the Australian women’s cricket team before her early retirement from international duties but it’s been almost a decade since she has played indoor Cricket for NSW.

Sarah Coyte has three important jobs at the Indoor nationals in Melbourne this week. Pic: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

“I’ve come back to have a bit of fun. I played it as a kid a lot, it was actually my favourite form of cricket,’’ Coyte said.

“Coaching is harder than playing, it is much harder being on the sidelines. Playing is the easy part.

“I enjoy it though. It’s a new experience. I normally work one-on-one so this is something very different.”

Coyte grew up playing her indoor cricket for Campbelltown and is currently living at Oran Park prior to an impending move to Adelaide.

She said she has enjoyed her return to indoor cricket, an area of the game she hopes to see boom with a World Cup coming to Australia later this year and Covid restrictions on indoor sport long gone.

Sarah Coyte bowling in the WNCL match between Victoria and Tasmania.

“When I was growing up it was huge, there was a lot of and I loved it,” she said.

Indoor cricket has been a breeding ground for top Australian, state and WBBL cricket stars over the years with the likes of Hannah Darlington, Anika Learoyd, Lauren Cheatle and Mikaela Hinckley all starting out in the game.

NSW is being represented in the men’s, women’s, under 22 men’s, under 14 boys, under 15 girls, under 16 boys, under 18 boys and under 18 girls divisions at the national championships.

Australia is hosting the 2022 Indoor Cricket World Cup in Melbourne from October 8 15.

Player performances at the nationals are being monitored with four Australian squad selected for the World Cup following the championships been played this month.

More than 800 players and officials will take part in the championships along with 48 etams.

Queensland are the most successful state with 21 wins in the open men’s and 18 in the open women’s divisions.

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Originally published as Sarah Coyte’s Australian indoor cricket challenge playing, captaining, coaching for NSW