“It’s fantastic obviously. I think he’s bringing a wealth of experience,” said Hooper, who led West Indies in 22 of his 102 Tests.
“He’s played for us, he’s played in South Africa, he played a lot in England, he’s been the England fast bowling coach and I’m sure he’s brought along a couple of guys (young fast bowlers) in England.” The 43-year-old Hooper has resided in Adelaide with his family since his retirement from international cricket seven years ago.
A stylish batsman who was blessed with immense talent, the right-handed Guyanese finished with 5762 runs at an average of 36, with 13 Test centuries during a career that spanned 16 years.
Hooper said he hoped Gibson could contribute to the development of cricket in the Caribbean. “It’s good to see he’s now on board with West Indies cricket. I hope that he helps out and does his little bit and that West Indies cricket can go from strength to strength,” said Hooper. He also praised captain Chris Gayle, pointing out the Jamaican had been an inspiration to the young West Indies side. “I think that Chris has been doing a fantastic job and one of the good things about Chris is that he’s been leading from the front. [This] is very, very important when you have especially young players beneath you,” Hooper noted.
“I think he just needs some support … from the Board, and the coaching staff and the management staff to make sure things are on track. It’s a young squad, most of these guys are babies to international cricket and you need some time for a lot of them to develop.” Hooper mingled in the nets with the West Indies squad during training yesterday as the side prepared for the second One-Day International against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
