Cricket West Indies (CWI) has confirmed several organisational changes at the start of a significant year, that will see the launch of a new four-year strategic plan (2024-27) and the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June.
Johnny Grave, Chief Executive Officer of CWI, stated, “As an organization, we are dedicated to nurturing a culture of continuous evolution and improvement. We are steadfast in our pursuit to maximize our human capital, engage the best talent, and foster an environment where excellence thrives throughout the entire system.”
Grave also revealed that “We have concluded a thorough appraisal process, resulting in the realignment of responsibilities of some of our team members. As part of this process, while some contracts have reached a natural conclusion, including those of Dominic Warne, Commercial, Marketing and Communications Director, and Philip Spooner, Media and Public Relations Manager; both individuals will continue supporting us in the extremely important year ahead, in new roles working directly on the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June. We appreciate their contributions and dedication to our organization and remain committed to their involvement in this significant period.”
One of the components being assessed as part of the new cricket strategy is the selection system. CWI will further explore the strengthening of this area, building on the established policy from the 2019 selection review.
Miles Bascombe, Director of Cricket at CWI, emphasized the importance of this review, stating, "We are dedicated to refining our selection processes to better serve the needs of West Indies cricket. The ongoing evaluation and restructuring efforts are integral steps toward achieving this goal."
Bascombe elaborated that the review has resulted in some immediate changes in structure and personnel. “The review has been planned to coincide with the end of the contracts of some selectors to enable a seamless transition. CWI expresses its gratitude to Roland Butcher, Travis Dowlin, and Robert Haynes, whose tenures ended on 31 December 2023. Their dedication has been laudable, and CWI acknowledges their significant role with gratitude.”
CWI has taken the decision not to immediately replace these selectors until the completion of the review process. The remaining Lead Selectors shall continue to serve under their existing contracts with CWI.
Bascombe further added, “Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon, has also left the organisation to take up a new role back home in Australia. We are grateful for the tremendous contribution that Chris has made over the past 4 years, which has seen the introduction of a comprehensive range of coaching courses and accreditations, resulting in over 1,000 newly certified coaches in the region.”
CWI reaffirms its commitment to fostering an environment of continuous improvement and transparency within its operations. The recruitment process for a new Commercial Director and Coach Development Manager will begin imminently.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has launched a search for someone to replace Ramnaresh Sarwan who has resigned as West Indies Senior Men’s and Youth Selector citing personal reasons.
The former Guyanese middle order batsman was appointed a selector for the West Indies Men’s Youth and Selection Panels on January 6, 2022. CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams thanked Sarwan for his contributions during the short time he served in the role.
“Given the depth of his experience in the game, we are disappointed that Ramnaresh is unable to continue in the role of a selector, but we fully understand and accept his reasons,” Adams said.
“We are grateful for his contribution during the period he was involved and hope that he will be able to contribute to West Indies Cricket in some capacity in the future.”
Resulting from the resignation, CWI will initiate a recruitment process as soon as possible through a competitive process, based on established criteria.
The aim, CWI said, will be to complete this process in the shortest possible time so that a suitable candidate can complete the selection panel in carrying out its duties. Robert Haynes, who is the current Lead Selector of the Men’s Youth Selection Panel and former interim Chairman of Selectors, will act as Sarwan’s replacement until a suitable full-time candidate is appointed.
Haynes will work alongside Senior Men’s Team Lead Selector the Most Honorable Dr Desmond Haynes and Head Coach Phil Simmons.
The West Indies Men’s team is currently touring the Netherlands for the first-ever ODI Series between the Netherlands and West Indies as part of the ICC ODI Super League.
West Indies batting great Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been appointed batting consultant for the West Indies Rising Stars U19s squad for the upcoming High-Performance Camp in Antigua to prepare the team for the ICC U19s Cricket World Cup to be hosted in the Caribbean in January and February 2022.
Chanderpaul, the most capped player in West Indies Test history, enjoyed an outstanding career during which he played 164 matches and made 11,867 runs at an average of 51.37.
He is the most recent addition to Head Coach Floyd Reifer’s coaching staff and will be part of this preparation period, which runs from November 15 to 28 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
“We want to welcome Shivnarine Chanderpaul to the Rising Stars U19s group and we look forward to him working with our young players at this critical stage in their development pathway,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.
“Shiv has a tremendous amount of cricketing knowledge and know-how and he will be a great addition to the coaching staff. We already have another icon of the game in Sir Curtly Ambrose, who has been involved with the squad since the camp in August, as well as several other outstanding coaches.”
Meanwhile, the CWI selection panel has named 28 players for the camp that follows the previous camp and trial matches held in August. The squad includes two newcomers – Jaden Leacock, a right-arm fast-medium bowler and right-hand batter and Kevin Wickham, a right-hand batter and right-arm wrist spinner – who will be assessed by the coaches and selectors.
Robert Haynes, CWI’s Lead Selector for the West Indies Rising Stars U19s said he is looking forward to this next phase of the squad’s preparation.
“Having had a month-long camp in Antigua in August followed by the 18-man West Indies Under-19 squad tour of England, I am looking forward to seeing the continued progress and improvements of the various players as well as to interact with them to understand their thinking and approach to the game,” he said.
“The two-week camp will include four practice matches along with continued skills and physical development, and it’s an opportunity for all players invited to stake a claim for selection for the series at home and the ICC Under19 Cricket World Cup.”
The West Indies Rising Stars U19s are preparing for the prestigious ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup tournament, which will be hosted by CWI in the Caribbean from January 4 to February 3, 2022. Before the World Cup, West Indies are due to finalise their squad preparation with a five-match series at home. Further details will be announced once officially confirmed.
FULL SQUAD: Onaje Amory, Anderson Amurdan, Ackeem Auguste, Justin Beckford, Teddy Bishop, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, Jaden Carmichael, McKenny Clarke, Rivaldo Clarke, Amrit Dass, Giovonte Depeiza, Nathan Edward, Andel Gordon, Sion Hackett, Justin Jagessar, Jordan Johnson, Kyle Kissoondath, Johann Layne, Jaden Leacock, Nicholas Lewin, Anderson Mahase, Matthew Nandu, Shaqkere Parris, Kelvin Pittman, Shiva Sankar, Vasant Singh, Isai Thorne and Kevin Wickham.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Selection Panel today announced an 18-member West Indies U19 squad for the upcoming tour of England.
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