Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Monday confirmed the start of the recruitment process for a permanent West Indies Men’s team Head Coach, announcing a new selection structure and policy.
This follows a comprehensive review by CWI’s Selection Task Force into the selection process and system for all West Indies cricket, with all the recommendations approved by the CWI Board of Directors at the quarterly meeting, held for the first time in Tobago on September 7 and 8.
The Selection Task Force’s four-month review benchmarked cricket selection systems around the world and incorporated feedback and contributions from current and former players, coaches, administrators, franchise CEOs and nearly 2,700 fans across the Caribbean.
As a result, CWI announced that they will be advertising the Men’s Head Coach role with immediate effect inviting applications before the September 20 with the aim of having a permanent Head Coach in place for the forthcoming away tour against Afghanistan.
The new CWI selection system will introduce new team-specific selection panels for the West Indies men’s and women’s and Youth teams. This will comprise an Executive Selector (lead selector), a selector and head coach.
These full-time selectors will be supported by a selection analyst to provide performance data to support selection considerations plus a minimum of three scouts to ensure cricketers throughout the region are closely watched and evaluated.
A modernised, transparent selection policy will see players selected against six criteria: form and performance, fitness (based on a new approved fitness and conditioning policy), team balance, mental capacity, technical ability and commitment. The playing XIs will then be selected by the Executive Selector, Head Coach and Captain.
On the Selection Task Force Process and Recommendations, Vice-President Kishore Shallow said, “The end product in the form of eight major recommendations is grounded in a comprehensive methodology encompassing the feedback of some 2700 stakeholders. This is a defining document that represents momentous progress for West Indies cricket.”
Main Recommendations of the Selection Task Force:
- Implement a new structure of team-specific selection panels;
- Dedicate the services of a data-based Selection analyst to the panels;
- Accept and Implement a new selection policy (based on form and performance, fitness, team balance, mental capacity, technical ability and commitment);
- Mandate the recently revised fitness and conditioning policy;
- Establish a comprehensive stakeholder communications & accountability protocol;
- Incorporate Human Resource best practices;
- Accept candidates identified to undergo a thorough recruitment process for filling the selectors’ positions for limited terms;
- Appoint one ‘White ball’ captain, as a medium to long term selection strategy.
Selection Task Force Committee:
- Kishore Shallow, CWI Vice-President and Chair of the Committee
- Jimmy Adams, CWI Director of Cricket
- Enoch Lewis, CWI Director and Chair of the CWI Cricket Committee
- Miles Bascombe, Former West Indies Player and national cricket selector to St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association and technical adviser for the Windwards Islands Cricket Board
- Ramnaresh “Ronnie” Sarwan, Former West Indies Captain, playing for the West Indies from 2000-2013
Philo Wallace, Former West Indies batsmen, commentator, former selector for Barbados (CWI)
