Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Walsh has his work cut out - Campbell

Published:Monday | October 5, 2020 | 12:13 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
Former Windies Women cricket team head coach Sherwin Campbell.
Former Windies Women cricket team head coach Sherwin Campbell.
WALSH
WALSH
1
2

Former West Indies women’s cricket team head coach Sherwin Campbell says the team’s new head coach, Courtney Walsh, has much work to do if he is to improve on the team’s recent poor performances.

The legendary fast bowler was confirmed as the new coach of the women’s team just this week, taking over from interim coach Andre Coley, who led the team on its recent tour of England.

Campbell, who coached the West Indies women from 2008 to 2013, says the next assignment for the girls should be a fitting start for the new coach to make some changes and try to turn around the fortunes of the women’s team.

“I am not sure how much knowledge he has with women’s cricket, but it is good to have ‘Walshy’ around the set-up,” Campbell said. “He might not have that experience in terms of women’s cricket, but who knows how well he can do until he is given the opportunity.”

Campbell, the Barbadian former West Indies opener said he had indeed applied for the post of head coach for the vacant women’s coaching job, however, Cricket West Indies decided to go with Walsh, who comes to the position with coaching experience with the Bangladesh men’s team.

After their recent 5-0 drubbing in the Twenty20 (T20) International series in England, Campbell believes that the time is right to give younger players experience and to try to use their inclusion and involvement as a catalyst for change in the women’s game at the international level.

As many as eight of the players that took part in the recent England series were part of the winning T20 World Cup team back in 2016. Campbell believes that some of those same players may be getting too comfortable in the team and that it is time for some changes.

“We can’t be rotating the same players over and over without any progress,” he said. “We are not doing well at this stage, and we have some senior players who can still offer a lot, but we should inject some young players along with them.”

SCOUTING

Campbell says the coaching staff should go back to the days where scouting at tournaments is increased as he is not seeing enough talent coming through the system.

“I recall when Clyde Butts, the chairman of selectors at the time, and I used to watch the regional women’s tournaments, and I recall a player by the name of Shanel Daley from Jamaica,” he said. “She started as a left-arm pace-bowler, and one day, she came to me and said she could also bowl spin, and I took her on board, and she became one of the best left-arm spinners in the region.

“We need to look outside of the box sometimes to find what we are looking for.”