Catherine Dalton has been appointed as the fast-bowling coach for Multan Sultans for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.
At the age of 30, Dalton holds the distinction of being the first female coach in the history of the PSL and the first female fast-bowling coach for a prominent men's team.
Dalton was born in England and obtained Irish citizenship in 2015, subsequently going on to represent Ireland in four ODIs and four T20Is. The 30-year-old has visited Pakistan on two prior occasions and worked with various fast bowlers, such as Mohammad Ilyas, Sameen Gul, and Arshad Iqbal, in addition to several Under-19 players.
Dalton, an ECB-certified Level 3 Advanced Coach, has previously occupied coaching roles at the national fast-bowling academy in the United Kingdom and the Ultimate Pace Foundation in India.
Among her numerous assignments, she worked with Deepak Chahar. Additionally, Dalton served as the assistant head coach at the National Fast-Bowling Academy based in the UK, working in partnership with Ian Pont and Andre Nel.
"Having worked in Pakistan with some of the Multan Sultan players on two previous visits, I am really thrilled to be officially joining up with the franchise at the PSL," Dalton told ESPNcricinfo.
"It's not lost on me the ground-breaking moment for a female fast-bowling coach to be working in a major men's T20 franchise. I am very humbled by the opportunity and cannot wait to hopefully help make a difference on multiple levels."
"Catherine has been part of our player-development programme for almost five years now. I have seen how she has improved players first hand. I always knew she would become a fast-bowling coach at a high level," Ali Tareen, Multan Sultans' owner, said. "And I am so glad that her first opportunity came at the Sultans."
It must be noted that PSL 9 is scheduled to take place between February 8 and March 24, 2024. Multan Sultans were the runners-up in the 2023 edition and have reached the final in each of the past three tournaments.