Born and raised in the north-east of England, Richard Pybus's own sporting ambitions were cut short by a succession of injuries, and so he took up coaching while in his mid twenties. He coached Border in South Africa before being poached by Pakistan ahead of their 1999 World Cup campaign. But a change of leadership meant he lost his job - he had described the interim chairman, at the time the side's manager, as a "bumbling old idiot" who he had had to treat for old age. He returned to Border but took charge of Pakistan for a second time until after the 2003 World Cup and from 2005 to the end of the 2006-07 season he was with the Titans. He was appointed coach of Middlesex in February 2007 but five months later quit citing personal reasons.

Pybus rejoined the Titans shortly after leaving Middlesex, before stepping down as coach in July 2009. During his tenure, he had overseen his team's success in the MTN Domestic Championship over two seasons and was named the CSA (Cricket South Africa) Coach of the Year. He went on to have a successful two-year spell at Cape Cobras, winning three titles, before resigning in March 2012 due to differences with the franchise management. In May 2012, Pybus was named coach of Bangladesh, taking over from Stuart Law, but that was a short stint, as he resigned in October that year following disagreement over the terms of his contract. His next major assignment came a year later, when he was appointed West Indies' director of cricket for a three-year period starting November 1, 2013.
Martin Williamson and ESPNcricinfo staff