ST JOHN'S, Antigua:
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) yesterday announced the appointment of former Test player Joel Garner as team manager for the West Indies senior men's team.
He has already joined up with the team for the upcoming four-Test Series against India, which starts on Thursday in Antigua. The contract will be for three years.
Garner brings a wealth of management and cricketing experience to the job. He served as interim manager for the 2009 to 2010 period, which included West Indies tours of Australia and Sri Lanka; South Africa and Zimbabwe tours to the West Indies, and the ICC World Twenty20, which was held in the Caribbean in 2010.
He has been president of the Barbados Cricket Association for the last three terms and contested the post of the WICB presidency in 2013.
Hailed as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he played 58 Test matches and 98 One-Day Internationals (ODI) between 1977 and 1987.
He took 259 Test wickets at an average of 20.97 and 146 wickets in ODIs at an average of 18.84. He was a World Cup hero in 1979 as West Indies beat England at Lord's to win the prestigious title for the second time.
"I always answer the call in West Indies cricket. It is always an honour to serve in any capacity in West Indies cricket and I'm pleased to be back with the team as manager to share my knowledge and experience to the team and be an ambassador for West Indies cricket and the region," Garner said.