FAST BOWLING great Joel Garner is set to be removed from managerial duties of the West Indies team.
Garner’s yorker is part of some sweeping changes Cricket West Indies has made to its management team as it bids to improve on the performances of the regional outfit.
According to a report from the Trinidad Guardian newspaper, Garner has been reassigned to another portfolio.
Garner has reportedly been reallocated to the role of ambassador of CWI and will be utilised for special projects. The ambassador role is in line with other big cricket boards around the world.
He has been replaced by former West Indies leg-spinner Rawl Lewis of Grenada, who has been with CWI in the operations department. Lewis managed the team during the successful World T20 run in 2016.
Garner has served just a year and a half on the job after being appointed West Indies team manager for a three-year period in July 2016.
The 6 ft, 8 in Garner played 58 Tests and 98 ODIs from 1977 to 1987 and was an integral member of Clive Lloyd’s formidable West Indies team that dominated world cricket in the 1980s.
Roddy Estwick, who replaced the legendary Curtly Ambrose in 2016, is expected to be replaced by a foreign bowling coach and his role will either go to Australian Ian Harvey or South African Alfonso Thomas. The two are the leading contenders for the job, and a decision on who wins out will be made later this week.
Head coach Australian Stuart Law remains in his position. Englishman Toby Radford will remain in his role as assistant coach to Law.
The source also revealed that the next fast bowling coach, either Thomas or Harvey, will also be working with the West Indies Under-19 team and “A” teams.
CWI has embarked on these changes before the team leave for the ICC World Cup qualifiers in March. The Windies will be looking to win the ten-team tournament and head into the World Cup that is to be played in England in 2019.
The team have not been returning good performances over the last year or so after regional teams won three titles in 2016. They won the ICC Men’s World T20, the Women’s World T20 and the ICC Under-19 World Cup titles.
Since then they have lost to Australia, Pakistan, England and New Zealand and are now ranked eighth in Test cricket and ninth in One Day Internationals. In the shorter format, the Windies continue to hold their own. (MK)