Hooper among assistant coaches named for men’s senior team

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced yesterday that former West Indies captain Carl Hooper was roped in to be one of the assistant coaches to West Indies white-ball head coach Daren Sammy.

Former interim head coach Floyd Reifer, another former West Indies captain, and former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin will complete the coaching expertise for the white-ball squad.

CWI also announced that the former Leeward Islands and West Indies pair of Kenny Benjamin and Stuart Williams, as well as former Guyana pacer Rayon Griffith, will be the assistant coaches to newly appointed Test team head coach Andre Coley.

According to a CWI news release, all the assistant coaches have been appointed on a short-term basis, and their positions will be reviewed after the international home series against India in August.

Hooper, one of the most successful West Indies all-rounders during his playing days, scoring more than 5,000 runs and taking more than 100 wickets in both Tests and One-day Internationals, said he accepted the position because he wanted to see West Indies move forward.

“When I was initially approached by Daren about the potential opportunity, I immediately confirmed my interest, as I really want to help with the challenge and make a meaningful impact,” he said in a CWI news release.

Hooper, 56, worked previously at various levels of coaching in the Caribbean and Australia, and his appointment was welcomed by Sammy.

“Cricket is a team sport,” Sammy said, “Therefore, having the right set of people around you, who share your vision, is extremely important. This is a group of hard-working, passionate men, who have no egos. Our collective desire is to have a positive impact on the players and West Indies cricket.”

On the Test side, Benjamin and Griffith were part of the coaching staff for the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year, while Williams returns to a role he previously held on diverse occasions.

Coley said the retention of Benjamin and Griffith will be beneficial to the players because they could continue the work upon which they embarked on previous tours.

“We are looking for as much continuity as possible in the preparation for our upcoming assignments,” Coley said, “Kenny and Rayon will continue in their roles from the previous two tours, and Stuart Williams is currently with the ‘A’ Team in Bangladesh.