-says Steven Camacho

No advertisements have been posted and no prospective candidates have yet been approached to fill the vacant post of West Indies’ head coach, Steve Camacho, acting chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), said yesterday.

Camacho dismissed media speculation that former West Indies players Phil Simmons, Ottis Gibson and Gus Logie, all accredited international coaches, had been sounded out by the WICB about their interest in replacing Australian John Dyson, fired two weeks ago with more than a year remaining on his contract.

Simmons is currently coach of Ireland, Gibson is bowling coach of England and Logie has just ended his contract as coach of Bermuda.

Logie, who averaged 35 in 52 Tests as middle order batsman between 1982 and 1991, was West Indies head coach before he was replaced by Australian Bennett King, the first foreigner in the post, in 2004.

“We have had no
application from Gus for the job and we have not contacted him,” Camacho told the Royal Gazette newspaper.

Simmons, preparing for Ireland’s one-off ODI against England in Belfast yesterday, confirmed that “there has been no contact whatsoever (with WICB)”.

“At some point in time, we are all interested in going home,” Simmons, the hard-hitting opening batsman who played 26 Tests between 1988 and 1998, said. “Right now I’m happy where I am.”

Gibson announced his interest in the West Indies job following King’s resignation after the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean but England got in first with their offer.

He was officially appointed bowling coach later that year and remains in the position.
Camacho indicated that it was possible the WICB would “head hunt” a suitable candidate rather than posting advertisements in the media and on its website as was the case.

“Things are happening quickly and the process of evaluating applications is time consuming,” he said.
David Williams, the former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies’ wicket-keeper who was Dyson’s assistant, has been appointed as interim coach for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa September 22-October 6.