Following the independent evaluation after the senior men’s side of the West Indies was eliminated in the first round of the men’s T20 World Cup last year, CWI opted to follow England‘s example and appoint separate red- and white-ball coaches. The study “took a closer look at the functions of the present head coach post,” CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams said.
Adams stated in a statement, “We believe it is now necessary to split the function and engage separate coaches for red and white ball formats. “There is no longer enough time for one person to adequately plan, prepare, and review across bilateral series and franchise itineraries that are so condensed,” says the statement. “The increased frequency of back-to-back multi-format tours combined with the specific demands of the respective formats no longer provides.”
According to CWI, the hiring process for both head coaches will soon begin, and the red-ball coach would also be in charge of the West Indies ‘A’ team.
Adams said that the review panel, which was made up of Mickey Arthur, Brian Lara, and Patrick Thompson Jr. (chair), recommended that having two distinct head coaches would benefit all of the teams’ preparation.
Splitting the positions will also provide head coaches more time to monitor players’ continuous development while not on tours, according to Adams. This will be done through improved involvement and preparation with appropriate high-performance programs and coaches.
After Phil Simmons’ departure, there has been no full-time coach.
The West Indies men’s team’s final full-time head coach, Phil Simmons, announced his resignation following what he dubbed the team’s “unfathomable” World Cup success. However, he stayed on to oversee the West Indies’ Test tour of Australia shortly after. During the World Cup
West Indies were bowled out for just 118 in their World Cup debut, chasing 161 against Scotland before holding Zimbabwe to 153 for 7, but Ireland easily defeated them 146 for 5 to advance to the next round.
Then, they dropped both of their Test matches in Australia, and after defeating Zimbabwe 1-0 on the road in a two-Test series, they were defeated 2-0 in South Africa. Since the World Cup, they haven’t engaged in any international white-ball matches. Its World Cup white-ball captain, Nicholas Pooran, has since retired as well. Andre Coley has served as the team’s interim head coach, and Shai Hope and Rovman Powell have been selected captains for the ODIs and T20Is, respectively.