Pakistan Women head coach David Hemp won't extend his contract in October

David Hemp, the head coach of Pakistan Women, will not extend his two-year contract in October, the PCB confirmed on Tuesday. Hemp, who was the second overseas coach for the women's team, said he took the "difficult decision" to spend more time with his young family.

"I have enjoyed living in Pakistan and working with the women cricketers, but it has also been difficult on me and my young family as I have been unable to spend enough time with them like any other father," Hemp said in a statement issued by PCB. "After consulting my family, I have conveyed this difficult decision to the Pakistan Cricket Board, which has very graciously understood my situation and accepted my decision.

"It has been incredibly enjoyable and satisfying working with the girls. Although results in international arena may not truly reflect the hard work and effort that went into the planning and preparations, I am satisfied that I gave my very best and the girls equally responded."

Hemp had taken charge from Iqbal Imam, who was appointed in an interim capacity after Mark Coles' exit in October 2019. He oversaw Pakistan's progress in the Women's World Cup Qualifier last year, the Women's World Cup earlier this year and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last month.

While Pakistan failed to get past the league stages at the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, they managed to end their streak of 18 losses in the competition in New Zealand, when they beat West Indies by eight wickets. Moreover, the rise of young Fatima Sana has been one of the positives from Hemp's tenure.

"I was especially pleased with the emergence of Fatima Sana, who won the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2021 award and became the first Pakistan women cricketer to win the ICC Cricketer of the Month award and displayed her excellent talent in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games," he said. "I am optimistic we will see many more young women cricketers from domestic competitions and talent hunt programmes to enter the Pakistan framework and contribute in the teams' future achievements.

"I want to thank everyone at the Pakistan Cricket Board, women's wing and the entire side who not only backed and supported me but also made my stay memorable and comfortable. I will remain a big fan of Pakistan women's cricket, will continue to follow their progress with excitement and remain confident that better results and successes await them down the road."

More recently, ahead of the Commonwealth Games, Pakistan blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20I series at home before taking the ODI series 2-1. Their next assignment is the ODI series at home against Ireland in November, which will be part of the ICC Women's Championship.

Tania Mallick, PCB head of women's wing, paid tribute to Hemp by saying, "It is sad to lose someone of David's caliber, enthusiasm and strong work ethics, but at the same we also understand and accept that family has to come first. The PCB thanks David for all his efforts and contributions, and wishes him best of luck in his future endeavours."