Carl Hooper joins West Indies' white-ball coaching team

Former West Indies captains Carl Hooper and Floyd Reifer have been appointed as assistant coaches and will work alongside new head coach Daren Sammy in the white-ball set-up, the Cricket West Indies announced on Thursday (June 1). 

Former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin will also be working alongside them as the Caribbean side prepare for their World Cup qualifying campaign. The Men in Maroon are scheduled to play three ODIs (June 4-9) against the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah before flying to Zimbabwe for the qualifiers. 

“Cricket is a team sport. Therefore, having the right set of people around you, who share your vision, is extremely important. This is a group of hard-working, passionate men, who have no egos. Our collective desire is to have a positive impact on the players and West Indies cricket,” said Sammy.

Hooper was the first player in the world to have scored 5000 runs, taken 100 wickets, held 100 catches and received 100 caps in both ODIs and Tests. South African Jacques Kallis is the only one to match his record. 

Hooper played for West Indies from 1987 to 2003 as an off-spinner and middle-order batter, but has mainly lived in Australia since his retirement. He has coached in India and Dubai and worked with several Caribbean Premier League franchises.

“When I was initially approached by Daren about the potential opportunity, I immediately confirmed my interest, as I really want to help with the challenge and make a meaningful impact. I firmly believe that it is time for West Indies Cricket to ascend, and I am confident in my ability, knowledge, and experience to aid in this endeavor,” he said.

For the Test team, former West Indies players Kenny Benjamin and Stuart Williams, as well as Rayon Griffith, will be the assistant coaches, working alongside head coach Andre Coley. Benjamin and Griffith were part of the coaching staff for the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year, while Williams has also previously worked as an assistant coach on various tours.

“We are looking for as much continuity as possible in the preparation for our upcoming assignments. Kenny and Rayon will continue in their roles from the previous two tours, and Stuart Williams is currently with the ‘A’ team in Bangladesh. It is a hard-working group with some clear tasks outlined and we can effectively serve West Indies cricket as a unit for the upcoming series against India,” said Coley.

However, all new assistant coaches have been appointed on a short-term basis and will be reviewed after the India series in August 2023.

The other members of the Team Management Unit who will work with the WI Men’s teams across all formats are: Rawl Lewis (Team Manager), Denis Byam (Physiotherapist), Ronald Rogers (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Avenash Seetaram (Analyst) and Dario Barthley (Media & Content Officer).

(With inputs from CWI media release)