Volume 1, Issue 6 – September 2016
ECB and WICB combine for ECB Level III By Tim Dellor England Cricket Board September 2016 For decades the Elite Coach Development Department has strived to be a world leader. The ECB has always recognised the important contribution high quality coaching makes in producing the best players and winning teams. The Level 3 and 4 programmes have always remained within the UK, bar the occasional foray into Europe, and coaches attend the courses with the primarily aim of improving playing standards here. For the first time this year a partnership with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has seen the ECB take its Level 3 course overseas. For cricket to be in good health globally it is essential the West Indies game is alive and kicking. There were concerns, but with wins this year in the Under 19 World Cup, and both the men’s and women’s World T20 competitions it seems to be off the critical list, have discharged itself, and be bouncing along in rude health. The West Indies have recognised a need to raise coaching standards, to ensure playing standards remain high across all formats of the game. The ECB has enjoyed excellent relations with West Indies Cricket for many years, and understanding the importance of the West Indies future to world cricket was only too happy to help. Besides, name me a coach who is going to turn down a fortnight in Barbados……. Running courses from Derby CCC or Loughborough is straightforward enough. You know it will rain, will be cold, and probably windy. Never reckon on being outside. The M1 will be jammed up. Always leave the night before. Superstar players are around every corner. Pretend you are not star-struck. Facilities are kept in pristine condition. Avoid bringing any chaos or mess to the venue. They do get traffic jams in Bridgetown, but sitting on the bus listening to Reggae and watching the palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze through the window makes it an altogether more pleasant experience than Northbound on the M1. They also get rain in Barbados at this time of year, but after hosing down for 30 minutes, everything has dried out and the outfield is ready to use within the hour.
A team of ten Level 3 tutors have enjoyed trips to Barbados this summer, with the course and assessment spread over three modules. Those on the course included West Indian legends Courtney Walsh, Winston Benjamin, Ezra Moseley and Tony Gray. 7 of the 27 on the course (including Moseley and Gray) are now trained to mentor and assess future cohorts of aspiring Level 3 coaches in the Caribbean. The plan was to leave a legacy, with a selfsustaining elite coach development structure in place. The course was held at the CLR James Cricket Research High Performance Centre on the University campus at Cave Hill. The neighbouring 3Ws Oval is one of the best grounds in Barbados, and there is an indoor nets facility on site, though a roof is only needed for shade most of the time. It was brilliantly organised by Fawwaz Baksh, the West Indies Senior Project Officer Development/Club Cricket. Without exception the group were superbly enthusiastic, eager to learn, open minded and knowledgeable. That was at the start of the course. Hopefully they were still some of those things when we had finished with them. As usual with Level 3 courses the blend of cricket, coaching and life experiences within the group accelerated the learning and ensured a few laughs along the way. The sight of half a dozen coaches reenacting Carlos Brathwaite’s last over celebrations as part of “The Book Club” session still haunts the English tutors. What they said about the ECB Level 3 Course: Rohan Nurse from Barbados. “The main thing I learnt was different eyes see different things. You have to be open minded. It was an honour being on the course, and the knowledge gained was amazing. It highlighted to me the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know. The course makes you hungry for more knowledge”. Courtney Walsh from Jamaica. Now Bangladesh specialist bowling coach. “It’s something I have always wanted to do. You’re never too old to learn. It’s a very important course for West Indies cricket and is long overdue. The guys have been eager to be a part of it. The information we have got is tremendous, and I hope others here in the West Indies will get the same opportunities in the future”. Winston Benjamin from Antigua. “I’m endeavouring to become the best coach I can be. The course presentations are brilliant and I had tremendous fun. You couldn’t ask for a better course than this one. The time has come for us coaches here in the West Indies to do things differently, and this course is encouraging us to do exactly that”. Tony Gray from Trinidad. “It was comprehensive and enjoyable, and hit lots of issues that were relevant to us. It will help with the resurgence of West Indies cricket if we implement what we have learnt. I’ve always been patriotic. It is important for our elite athletes and ultimately should help them make the transition to international cricket. I want to be a part of any course that offers me a level of education”.
ICC Pitch Consultant returned WICB Media Story International Cricket Council Pitch Consultant, Andy Atkinson returned to the region where he conducted an intensive two-day workshop for Caribbean curators at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, September 6 & 7. Andy with Jamaican and TT curators
The workshop took a comprehensive look on pitch allocation, rotation, maintenance, draining, outfield management and offered technical guidelines for the participants. “The workshop was timely,” according to Director of Cricket, Richard Pybus, “this workshop should serve to assist our curators around the region with additional information on how to maintain and improve their respective pitches.’
The Director of Cricket added that “in an effort to improve pitches it is important that we have Andy with us. We are taking steps, as we promised, to improve what we currently have so the pitches respond favourably to all formats of the game.” The Essex-born pitch consultant who has been with the ICC since 1998 has toured extensively to cricketing nations globally. He was last in the region during the World Cup in 2007 and the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010 and returned for a workshop in September 2011. The workshop attracted 25 participants from the six regions with Kent Crafton, head curator also participating. The other representatives were from
St Vincent Dominica Guyana Grenada Trinidad and Tobago o University of Trinidad and Tobago St Lucia St Kitts Barbados Jamaica Antigua
Impact of the rollers The territorial boards are currently preparing their teams for the start of the 4-day Professional Cricket League (PCL), season three, which is set to bowl off Friday, November 11.
Wonder what Andy is staring at?
SEBASTIEN REPLACES WALSH AS SELECTOR Lockhart Sebastien has been appointed as a selector for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Sebastien, who was an alternate selector for the last four years, replaces Courtney Walsh. Sebastien brings a tremendous amount of experience to the new post having served in several capacities from as far back as 1974. The Dominican has managed the Windward Islands senior team for the last 12 years, he has served as a director on the Windward Islands board for the last ten years and was manager for the West Indies “A” team to India in 2013 and Sri Lanka in 2014. Sebastien is a former opener for Dominica, Windward Islands and Combined islands. He played first class cricket for 20 years. He played 92 first class matches and scored 4,934 runs with the highest score of 219. The appointment was ratified at the Board of Directors meeting in Dominica, September 10. When we spoke to Sebastien, he stated “I want to thank the directors for approving my term as a selector. I have always been a team player and together with the other selectors, we will ensure the best West Indies team is selected at all times. Selectors have not always pleased everyone in the Caribbean but I am part of a team who will try the utmost to make Caribbean people happy". Sebastien’s term as a selector is for two years.
#Throwback #WestIndies #Champions
Professional Cricket League Years 1 and 2
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The Selection Panel of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has announced two “A” 14-man squads for the Four-Day and One-Day match series against Sri Lanka. The series will consist of three 4-day and three oneday matches to run from October 1 to November 1. The squads are: Four (4) Day 1. Rajendra Chandrika 2. Kieran Powell 3. Evin Lewis 4. Vishual Singh (Vice Captain) 5. Shamarh Brooks (Captain) 6. Shimron Hetmyer 7. Jahmar Hamilton 8. Damion Jacobs 9. Rahkeem Cornwall 10. Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai 11. Kemar Roach 12. Keon Joseph 13. Delorn Johnson 14. Reynard Leveridge
A team - One day 1. Jason Mohammed (Captain) 2. Rovman Powell 3. Andre Fletcher (Vice Captain) 4. Kyle Hope 5. Chadwick Walton 6. Andre McCarty 7. Assad Fudadin 8. Veerasammy Permaul 9. Jon-Russ Jaggesar 10. Damion Jacobs 11. Delorn Johnson 12. Ronsford Beaton 13. Kesrick Williams 14. Kyle Mayers
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Management Team Dwain Gill – Manager Graeme West – Coach Rayon Griffith – Assistant Coach Vernon K A Williams – Physiotherapist Dinesh Mahabir – Data Analyst Zephyrinus Nicholas – Strength and Conditioning Trainer Schedule
October October October October October October
4–7 11 – 14 18 – 21 24 27 30
1st 4-day 2nd 4-day 3rd 4-day 1st One-day 2nd One-day 3rd One-day
R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium Kurunegala Welegedera Cricket Stadium R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium
Meet some of the members of the “A” Team
Rovman Powell Jamaica, Combined Campuses and Colleges Jamaica Tallawahs
Sharmarh Brooks Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, UWI Vice Chancellor's XI, West Indies Cricket Board President's XI, West Indies Under-19s
Delorn Johnson St Lucia Zouks, TT Red Steel, West Indies Under 19 Windward Islands Under 19
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WIPA INTENSFIES FOCUS ON PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Submitted by WIPA The following is an excerpt from WIPA’s player development programme
The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) began its hosting first in a series of four workshops on Monday, September 26. That workshop was held with the Women’s team, who are in a training camp for their homeseries against England. Workshops will also be conducted with the six regional franchises beginning in the pre-season and leading up to the fifth round of the 2016/2017 Professional Cricket League (PCL) season. In light of WIPA’s vision to facilitate a stable, credible and endearing environment that safeguards the promotion, development, and sustainability of the sport in the region, these workshops serve as part of the association’s thrust to facilitate total player development, improving members on and off the cricket field. The Player Development & Welfare Programme falls under WIPA’s Education, Training & Development committee, which is chaired by Dr. Joel Warrican, Director of Academic Programming and Delivery, Commonwealth of Learning Chair (Open and Distance Learning), The University of West Indies Open Campus. Since 2014, there have been three series of workshops organized and conducted by the association. Players’ Resource Officers (PROs) from Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago travelled and administered workshops to various teams across the region. The topics presented and discussed included:
An Introduction to WIPA and the PDW Programme Educational Support – WIPA’s MOU with educational institutions and the opportunities available. Career Development – An exploration of careers and investments, and a presentation on Life after Cricket. Anti-doping & Health – The Anti-doping code, and the health dangers of doping Anti-corruption – Match fixing in cricket and its ramifications Media & Public Relations – Communication, and WIPA’s Social Media policy The History of West Indies Cricket: o Cricket and Colonialism o Cricket and Nationalism o Cricket and Globalization Leadership Communication and Logistics WICB Sponsorship and Obligations MOUs and Education
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