Bridgetown, Barbados – The WICB today announced that former West Indies captain Carl Hooper has been appointed Batting Coach at the Sagicor High Performance Center.
The classy strokemaker represented the West Indies in 102 Tests and 227 One Day Internationals between 1987 and 2003. He scored a total of 11,523 international runs and registered 20 international centuries and 56 half centuries. He has a highest Test score of 233 which was scored against India in his native Guyana.
He also took 307 international wickets with his steady off spin and was an outstanding fielder during his career, most notably as a slip catcher where he collected the majority of his 225 catches in Tests and ODIs.
The 44 year old, will be based in Barbados, having travelled from his home in Australia where he has lived since retiring. He has been appointed for the ongoing semester and will work with Sagicor HPC Head Coach Andre Coley who is a former Jamaican wicketkeeper batsman.
Hooper is the third former West Indies captain to have been engaged by the WICB in 2011 as the heavy emphasis on player development continues.
Hooper’s appointment follows those of Richie Richardson as West Indies Team Manager and Desmond Haynes as Batting Consultant to the West Indies team.
Former players Clyde Butts, Robert Haynes and Courtney Browne form the WICB Selection Committee while former all rounder Ottis Gibson is West Indies Head Coach and former wicketkeeper David Williams is his assistant.
Another former captain, Jimmy Adams, served as Batting Consultant to the West Indies team in 2010. Legendary fast bowler Joel Garner and former world record holder for the most wickets in Test cricket Lance Gibbs both served as Team Manager to the West Indies team in the recent past.
Garner is also a director of the WICB along with the incomparable double World Cup winning captain Clive Lloyd.
Sherwin Campbell, the former opening batsman is Head Coach of the Windies Women’s team. Campbell’s opening partner, Nevisian, Stuart Williams has also served as Assistant Coach in the West Indies A Team and West Indies Under 19 Team units.