CHAGUARAMAS: Vasbert Drakes, the former West Indies allrounder, has been named as one of three assistant coaches for the forthcoming Test series against England by the interim head coach, Richard Pybus.
Drakes, who played 12 Tests and 34 ODIs between 1995 and 2004, was the head coach of West Indies women when they emulated the men’s squad in winning the 2016 World T20 in India – a tournament that Pybus oversaw in his role as Windies team director.
Drakes will be working alongside the former Guyana allrounder Esuan Crandon and the former Middlesex and Sussex batsman Toby Radford, who was the men’s assistant coach during the 2012 World T20, another campaign that ended in silverware for the men’s squad.
“It is an honour to be back working with West Indies cricket again,” said Drakes. “As someone who played the game at the highest level, it has always been my wish to contribute to West Indies cricket and give back to the young players.
“We have a tremendous group of players here, full of ambition and hungry for success. Our role as coaches is to offer leadership and sound advice and to share knowledge and create an environment of learning. I want to see West Indies cricket grow and flourish.”
Crandon, who coached the Guyana Jaguars to four consecutive Regional First-class titles, will complete the coaching set-up alongside the former Pakistan spin bowler, Mushtaq Ahmed, who will continue in his role as spin bowling consultant.
“I am passionate about the game of cricket and a true supporter of West Indies cricket, so ultimately I want to make a contribution to the game in the region and see the players perform at their best,” Crandon said. “I am a calm individual and I’m here to do what is required to help the team succeed … that’s what I enjoy doing, coaching and helping others.”
Pybus’ appointment as interim coach was last week ratified by CWI despite a protest from the Leewards Islands Cricket Board (LICB) who claimed that he had been “handpicked” by the CWI president, Dave Cameron after not originally appearing in the shortlist for the role.
