West Indies appoint Robert Samuels as interim head coach of women’s team

West Indies women’s team have roped in Robert Samuels as the interim head coach of the side for the Caribbean side’s white-ball series against Ireland. The former West Indies cricketer, who served as an assistant coach to Courtney Walsh, was let go in April earlier this year after Cricket West Indies (CWI) decided against renewing their contracts.

The former West Indies cricketer, who represented the national team for a brief period in 1996 and 1997, is well aware of the situation of the team, given his previous stint. He is expected to stabilize the squad ahead of their limited-overs series against a visiting Irish team, commencing next week. 

“Robert brings continuity and stability to get the team through this period. He has great knowledge of the players and the women’s game in general – and strong knowledge of the support staff – so it’s almost a seamless transition with Robert coming in as Interim Head Coach.

He has his own ideas, and is trying to implement them now as Interim Head Coach as opposed to assistant coach. He has made a good impact and start over the last few days, and I’m sure it will continue throughout the series,” CWI High Performance Manager Graeme West said of Samuels’ appointment. 

Ryan Austin and Steve Liburd join the team as interim assistant coaches

Robert Samuels will also have the services of Ryan Austin and Steve Liburd at his disposal, as the duo will serve as interim assistant coaches for the Ireland series. Steve Liburd, former Leeward Islands captain, is the head coach of West Indies Women’s Under-19 Rising Stars. 

The series against Ireland is of utmost importance to the Windies side, as they are currently languishing in the second bottom place in the Women’s Championship points table. A three-match ODI series will provide the hosts with an opportunity to climb their way in the points table. A three-match T20I series follows the 50-over assignment, with all the matches taking place at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.