West Indies to appoint official head coach by April 1

Despite former Jamaica wicketkeeper/batsman Andre Coley’s appointment as West Indies interim head coach for the January to March 2023 tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa, Cricket West Indies (CWI) executive member Azim Bassarath believes an official coach should be appointed to lead the maroon by April 1.

Speaking at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva, on Tuesday, Bassarath, who is also TT Cricket Board (TTCB) president, said regional administrators have already begun the process to select another coach.

This comes after former West Indies coach Phil Simmons officially resigned after a 2-0 Test series sweep against Australia last week.

Bassarath said the regional team should have an official leader appointed by or before the next four months.

“The (CWI) office is putting things in place as we speak to ensure an ad (for coach) goes out. Very soon an ad will go out, inviting applicants. By April 1, we will have a new (WI) coach, hopefully,” he said.

Bassarath made these comments on Tuesday, one day before CWI announced that Coley will take charge of the team, in the interim, for the tour of southern Africa.