BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Head Coach of the West Indies team Ottis Gibson says he is happy to have West Indies cricket legends Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Curtly Ambrose on board with the team as they continue their preparation camp ahead of the upcoming Test Series against New Zealand.
Sir Garry, the greatest allrounder in the game’s history, will be working with the batsmen during the ongoing three-day warm-up match at the 3Ws Oval as well as some training sessions before the team departs for Jamaica on Wednesday, June 4. The first Test bowls off on Sunday, June 8 at Sabina Park.
Sir Curtly, one of the best fast bowlers of all-time, is the new Bowling Consultant and will work with the team during the upcoming three Tests and two T20 Internationals.
“Sir Curtly is heavily involved in cricket here with the Combined Campuses & Colleges and is making a contribution to West Indies cricket in that way so the feeling is to get him to come in and mentor the good bowlers that we have and try to see if he can inspire them through his experiences to turn themselves into great bowlers,” Gibson said.
“He’s obviously led the West Indies bowling attack and done it very well over his career, so hopefully he will impart some knowledge and pass on some of his experiences onto the guys.”
Gibson was speaking at the 3Ws Oval as the players went through their paces. He added it was a great experience for the players to have Sir Garry around, especially the young batsmen.
“Sir Garry is the best of the best and it is great to have him join us. He is still an avid watcher of the game, so he sees a lot of things. He is here to pass on his knowledge over so many years of doing it,” Gibson said.
“The guys like Darren Bravo and young Kieran Powell have been very receptive and his wisdom will not be lost on the experienced guys like Shiv Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels either. All the guys will get the opportunity to speak to Sir Garry about their game, which can only be a good thing for us.
“Hopefully, over the next couple of the days, the guys will really use him as a springboard for where they are in their game and what he thinks they need to do to take their game to the next level,” Gibson added.
FULL SQUAD
Denesh Ramdin (Captain)
Sulieman Benn
Darren Bravo
Dwayne Bravo
Shiv Chanderpaul
Kirk Edwards
Shannon Gabriel
Chris Gayle
Jason Holder
Sunil Narine
Shane Shillingford
Kieran Powell
Kemar Roach
Marlon Samuels
Jerome Taylor
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Ottis Gibson (Head Coach)
Sir Richard Richardson (Team Manager)
Sir Curtly Ambrose (Bowling Consultant)
Stuart Williams (Assistant Coach)
Andre Coley (Assistant Coach)
C.J. Clark (Physiotherapist)
Hector Martinez Charles (Strength & Conditioning Co-ordinator)
Richard Berridge (Video & Statistical Analyst)
Philip Spooner (Media Manager)
Virgil Browne (Massage Therapist)
SERIES SCHEDULE
June 8-12: First Test – Sabina Park, Jamaica
June 16-20: Second Test – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
June 26-30: Third Test – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
July 5: First T20 International – Windsor Park, Dominica
July 6: Second T20 International – Windsor Park, Dominica