Dear Editor,

I am extremely happy that the West Indies Cricket Team now has a new coach. The outstanding bowling coach for the England Cricket Board (ECB), West Indian Mr Ottis Gibson, has already left his post in the UK to take up his new appointment with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). He is expected to take full responsibility for the senior team in time for the start of the Zimbabwe series.

Chief Executive of the WICB Mr Ernest Hillaire was keen to state to Cricinfo journalists that “Mr Gibson will be the head coach of the WICB, and not just head coach of the senior team. He will have responsibility for coaching right across all of our representative cricket teams.”

The broad mandate of the new WICB head coach is quite impressive. Mr Gibson is expected to be given great latitude to ensure he inculcates his strict coaching best practices in all teams, ensuring all players learn and execute the techniques, strategies and tactics necessary to win games.

I wish Mr Gibson every success in his new endeavour. I also hope that this time, the WICB will give their unwavering support to their new head coach and work with him to ensure that West Indies cricket returns to a competitive stage. Let us all hope that the politics that has so eroded the effectiveness of the WICB does not interfere with the new coach and consequently, adversely affect his work.

Once again, the West Indies Team has a West Indian coach. Let’s hope all the parties concerned give him the respect and the latitude he needs to do his work effectively to the benefit of West Indies cricket!

Yours faithfully,
Richard Francois