Afghanistan will need a lot more cricket against established Test teams’ A sides if this promotion to Test is to work, their coach Phil Simmons feels

Sidharth Monga in Bengaluru15-Jun-20182:06

‘Afghanistan will learn what it takes to beat the best’ – Simmons

Afghanistan will need a lot more cricket against established Test teams’ A sides if this promotion to Test is to work, their coach Phil Simmons and India captain Ajinkya Rahane feel. Having finished the Test inside two days, Rahane was complimentary of the potential of Afghanistan’s bowling attack – “they can do damage to any team” – but he said the batsmen needed work even if it came through simulating Test situations in the nets.”I think with us there has to be a lot more A team cricket played against big countries by some players – players just below 18 – in England, India, Bangladesh, Australia,” Simmons said. “I think that’s the best way for us to close this gap.”Simmons hoped his side would get to play tour games against Test sides that come to India, as has been promised by the BCCI secretary.Rahane said they need not wait for the matches to come their way, and that’s because they have bowlers in their ranks who can give them good practice. “Definitely, four-day games and Tests will help them a lot,” Rahane said. “Practising with red ball regularly, creating those match situations, because they have got some good bowlers, they will learn from that. It’s not [always] about in the match, but creating those situations in practice also and thinking and visualising that as batsmen how they are going to play against each opponent. Test is about creating those situations even if you are batting in the nets. It’s all in the mind, and skill-wise technically, every layer is similar. If they get mentally tough and find their technique, it will be good.”Simmons isn’t the one to hide behind the enormity of the occasion. He said he can grant his side the benefit of nerves in the first session, but the way they lost was disappointing. He hadn’t had a meeting when he spoke at the press conference but there would be some explaining to do for some of the shots played. The same he said for the spinners: “I don’t think they by no means happy with how they performed.”Simmons always knew it was going to be tough. Now his team experienced it first-hand. However, he has seen this team learn a lot, and expected them to get to it. “Their learning curve is huge,” Simmons said. “I do believe they want to succeed, they want to be good at it and they work very hard and we now know that we have to work five times as hard as we did in the last four games. I believe that they will get there.”

Phil Simmons, the Afghanistan coach, was pleased with the side’s preparation but stressed on channeling white-ball temperament in Test cricket

Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru13-Jun-20182:34

Rashid will come out as the best spinner in this Test – Simmons

Asghar Stanikzai was asked about “nerves” as he arrived for his first official press conference as Test captain. “I’m hearing this for the first time,” he shot back, setting the tone for the next 15 minutes during which he and coach Phil Simmons talked all things Test cricket and the build-up to their inaugural Test.It was in Bengaluru seven years ago that Simmons truly left his imprint as a coach, when Ireland upset England at the 2011 World Cup. Now, he returns to the venue of that famous triumph in charge of another side, who he just helped qualify for the 2019 World Cup two months ago.Having witnessed the turmoil West Indies went through towards the end of his career, Simmons is aware of the immediate challenge to channel Afghanistan’s white-ball temperament to the longest format.”I was with Ireland for a long time, but they haven’t produced the amount of youngsters in the last four-five years like Afghanistan have,” he said. “The batting is a little bit less but the bowling, you will see a young fast bowler in this Test match hopefully. It shows that they have young talent coming up. And exciting prospects for the future.”Preparation wise, Afghanistan picked two vastly different squads for the T20Is against Bangladesh and their inaugural Test. Only Stanikzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman featured in their 3-0 T20I whitewash of Bangladesh in Dehrarun earlier this month. This decision of allowing players time to prepare for the Test by monitoring their training schedules was a conscious one.”Our preparation has been good. We still had 12-13 players training with red ball,” Simmons said. “Fortunately the three fast bowlers (Wafadar, Sayed Shirzad and Yamin Ahmadzai) were not in T20I squad and they have been concentrating on Test preparation. The two senior spinners Nabi and Rashid am sure will be able to adjust themselves.”Afghanistan are under no illusion about how the pitch will behave and expect India’s three spinners to come hard at them. Having two wristspinners themselves – Rashid and Zahir Khan – along with Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s variations should help cope to an extent.Afghanistan’s players attend the BCCI awards ceremony•BCCI

“You prepare for what you expect. We expected Jadeja, Ashwin, Kuldeep,” Simmons said. “We have had our own Kuldeep in young Zahir. We have bowlers of similar ilk and they have been bowling at the batsmen. My feeling is that I can’t tell you how to prepare for a particular player. When you practice it against a spinner you learn how to play him. So we have put that in front of them and I think they have worked hard enough to be put out there.”Simmons cracked up when asked about “grass on the surface” for this Test. “When I played with them (Afghanistan) in Ireland, it was a little more greener than this and it still turned,” he said. “I think our bowlers are experienced enough to turn on that. It looks a lot darker today than it did two days ago, so I think by the time tomorrow (Thursday) comes it will be dry enough to spin on it.”The surface aside, it was also inevitable Simmons was going to be asked about Stanikzai’s remarks of Afghanistan’s spinners being better than India’s. My captain knows what he is talking about,” Simmons laughed with Stanikzai also grinning beside him. “When you look at it, all spinners in this contest will be excellent.”We know that right now, Rashid is the most difficult spinner to play around. He has not played Test cricket. We have to look and see what happens. but his professionalism will help him to adjust and am sure he will come out well.”Afghanistan have trained in India regularly since making Greater Noida their home base last year. Access to different training wickets and modern facilities has been maximised so much that Simmons downplayed the prospect of being undercooked. He stressed more on the temperament needed to succeed and hoped the team had learnt from experience.”The mental part comes from the way you train, how long you bat and how long you bowl and train in the nets,” Simmons said. “That’s the only way you prepare mentally because when you get out there then you understand what it takes. They have played four-day cricket so they have a fair idea…the good thing about it is that they learn quickly.”The press conference was lit up further when Simmons was asked about Virat Kohli’s unavailability. His answer elicited laughter among those in attendance.”I think there will always be a bit of disappointment in the players not to be on the same field as Virat, but at the same time we look at it as win the Test match and beat India, we don’t beat Virat,” he said. “So we are disappointed he is not playing, but little bit happy that we are not going to bowl to him all the time. We are happy to be here and playing India, Virat is not India.”

Alex Davies led the recovery for Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford as he finished the second day of their crucial Specsavers County Championship match against Hampshire unbeaten on 78

ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-20181:34

Surrey hit with five-run penalty

ScorecardAlex Davies led the recovery for Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford as he finished the second day of their crucial Specsavers County Championship match against Hampshire unbeaten on 78.Replying to Hampshire’s first-innings 451, Lancashire closed on 140 for 3 as Davies posted his highest score of the Division One season so far, surpassing a previous best of 71. However, Hampshire, boosted by a Rilee Rossouw century, will still be the happier at the halfway stage of a clash between two struggling teams. A couple of early wickets during the third morning will really see them in the driving seat.With club captain Liam Livingstone on England Lions duty and veteran West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul missing for compassionate reasons, Lancashire’s batting order has suffered a huge dent. Hampshire, meanwhile, are without South African pace bowler Dale Steyn as they have decided to rest him prior to their Royal London Cup final against Kent at Lord’s on Saturday.The Lancashire innings got off to a familiar start as they lost an early wicket. England opener Keaton Jennings gloved Gareth Berg behind for 4 to leave his side 7 for 1 before tea.Haseeb Hameed’s off-stump was sent cartwheeling by Fidel Edwards as he departed for 13 early in the evening. Hameed’s poor run of form continues having now been out three times in a row offering no shot, and he averages just 7.00 in his seventh appearance this summer.Rob Jones followed for just a single, as he too had his off stump uprooted by Kyle Abbott as the score slipped to 70 for 3 in the 25th over.Despite the loss of wickets, wicketkeeper-batsman Davies remained positive by playing some crunching shots all around the ground. The 23-year-old reached a mature fifty off 87 balls with 10 fours. Dane Vilas – the stand-in captain for Livingstone – supported Davies and will aim to continue their unbroken 70-run alliance deep into the third morning.Earlier, Rossouw crafted his 19th first-class class century as he finished the Hampshire first innings unbeaten on 120 off 189 balls.They resumed the second day on 302 for 6, with Rossouw and Ollie Rayner unbeaten. But Rayner failed to trouble the scorers as Graham Onions had him trapped in front for a 24-ball duck.That gave Onions his second five-wicket haul of the season after taking 6 for 55 at Trent Bridge against Nottinghamshire in mid-May. However, the hosts couldn’t capitalise on the early wicket as they toiled in heightened Manchester temperatures.A 67-ball 49 from Berg ensured Lancashire’s bowlers felt the burn as the lead grew. Abbott and Edwards hung around with Rossouw, adding 61 for the last two wickets.

Reactions from current and former players after a sensational, see-sawing Test at Edgbaston

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-20181:45

A brilliant advert for Test cricket – Root

It’s lovely. It’s the favourite format for me. It’s the best format in cricket. We absolutely love playing Test cricket. People watching it as well should love it equally. They understand the game and there’s nothing better than testing yourself over five days against top quality opposition and I’m sure every player playing Test cricket will vouch for that as well.
Anyone who says it’s dead can just come and watch it on repeat.
I have dreamt of this growing up. Playing Test cricket, in front of these big crowds, with all these players I’ve seen growing up. Stokesy, Jimmy, Broady, I’m just trying to learn a bit every day.

Root has batted at No. 3 throughout the English summer but says he made a “spur of the moment decision”

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2018Joe Root, England’s captain, has insisted his decision to bat at No. 4 in the second innings in Southampton was made “for the good of the team”.Root has batted at No. 3 throughout the English summer but, having averaged just 28.54 in that time, said he made a “spur of the moment decision” to move back to the No. 4 position in which he averages 52.45.That meant a promotion for Moeen Ali, who had batted at No. 7 in the first innings. And while he scored only 9, Root described Moeen as “very excited” about the opportunity to bat up the order and suggested the move had “worked very well”. Root made 48, his highest score in six innings.”Ultimately I did it for the good of the team and to try and get the best out of myself,” Root told Sky Sports ahead of the fourth day’s play at the Ageas Bowl. “I know if I score runs we’ve got a great chance of winning the game.”It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision. We’re in a position where Moeen is in great form. He bats at No. 3 for his county, so we thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there and play in his own manner at No. 3 for England.”I felt batting at No. 4 in this situation and getting the best out of myself would give us a better chance of getting up towards 230-250. It’s worked pretty well.”It might not have been Moeen who got runs but part of being a team is that you all play your part and the fact I’ve come down to No. 4 in this innings worked in a way.”Mo was very excited about it and it wouldn’t have been the case if he hadn’t desperate to do it. He sees himself as a top-order batter. He goes back to Worcester and bats at No. 3. He got a double-hundred last week. He was pleased to have that opportunity. It didn’t work out this time around but there’s no reason he wouldn’t be able to be successful in that position in the future.”Whether Moeen will get another chance to bat at No. 3 remains to be seen with Root declining to confirm that his move back to No. 4 would be permanent.”Whether it’s a long term thing with Mo we’ll have to wait and see,” Root said. “I tried to get the best out of myself in this situation so I put myself at No. 4. I think every situation is different.”Every now and then you might have to change things around. It’s not something that is good to do a lot – especially with your batting – but every now and then, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”While Root described the decision as “spur of the moment”, it seems it was made ahead of the third day’s play. Earlier in the summer, Root was described as having moved to No. 3 by his own choice by Ed Smith, the national selector.

Michael Carberry’s stand-off with Leicestershire has come to an end by “mutual consent”, with the former England opener now set to leave the club

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2018Michael Carberry’s stand-off with Leicestershire has come to an end by “mutual consent”, with the former England opener set to leave the club for which he hasn’t played since being axed as captain in May.Carberry, who moved to Grace Road late in the 2017 season, was named as captain last October, but lasted for less than half a season before Paul Nixon, the head coach, replaced him with Paul Horton following an internal review.Explaining his decision at the time, Nixon said that Carberry’s leadership had been “more reactive than proactive”, and that he would be taking a short break from the game.”It was a huge decision, the toughest decision of my career,” Nixon said. “Michael is a fantastic man with great integrity and is a massively valued member of this team and we are desperate to get him back. He’s going to have a little break, get his head clear and round it, and maybe it was us asking too much of him in the first place.”But he’s taken this club forward already with the things he’s done and his attitude and it was a very tough decision to make but we think the right one moving forward.”Carberry’s career had been at a crossroads when he left Hampshire after undergoing treatment for cancer in 2016. He had reportedly been considering legal action against Leicestershire, but that prospect has now been dropped.In a brief statement, the club added: “Leicestershire County Cricket Club and Michael Carberry have agreed to part company by mutual agreement.Leicestershire County Cricket Club would like to wish Michael all the very best for the future. The club will not be making any further comment.”

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani went so far as to say there was “nothing that happens in Pakistan cricket that this committee cannot look at”

Danyal Rasool26-Oct-2018A new cricketing committee will be given wide-ranging powers to oversee the state of all aspects of Pakistan cricket. It will be chaired by Mohsin Khan, and includes among its members Wasim Akram, Misbah-ul-Haq and Urooj Mumtaz. Three other former cricketers – Mudassar Nazar, Zakir Khan and Haroon Rasheed – will provide functional and administrative assistance to the committee as it carries out its work.The committee, while not allocated any decision-making power, has been handed a wide remit and will meet thrice in a year. PCB chairman Ehsan Mani went so far as to say there was “nothing that happens in Pakistan cricket that this committee cannot look at”. Subhan Ahmed, the board’s chief operating officer, said the committee will evaluate and make recommendations on the state of pitches and balls used in domestic cricket. Further duties include overseeing grade-level and women’s cricket and meeting with the head coach at least three times a year to “assess their performance and understand what their plans and goals are and guide the PCB in these aspects”. It will also oversee the performance of the national selectors and national coaches.A key power invested in the committee will be the authority to appoint members to the selection committee, but Ahmed insisted it wouldn’t be allowed to interfere in day-to-day selection matters. “The selection committee will continue to function independently from this cricket committee. They have separate roles to perform. The cricket committee has been given a remit to independently oversee various aspects.”Mohsin promised that the committee would function “without any favouritism”. “I would like to thank chairman Mani for the opportunity,” he said. “The chairman told me he wanted to form a committee that included some of the best cricketers in Pakistan’s history, and you can see that in the presence of Wasim, Misbah and Urooj Mumtaz. We will all work together on issues ranging from domestic cricket to international cricket, be it about selection, captain or coaches. We will make all our decisions on merit, without any favouritism. That is my goal, and I’m glad the chairman has given me such a fine team to work with.”Wasim Akram also thanked Mani, and said the main idea was to find the best way to help Pakistan cricket. “People have often asked me why I haven’t got involved in coaching, especially with my experience of the past 8-10 years. But it’s about finding the best way to improve Pakistan cricket, which involves improving the first-class structure. It won’t happen overnight, but with the experience of all of us, we can make a difference.”Urooj Mumtaz, the only female cricketer on the panel, said she was honoured Mani had “considered her worthy” of the appointment. “I can easily say I’ve been there from the inception of women’s cricket in Pakistan,” she said. “I feel I have a lot to offer, with how much women’s cricket I’ve played and watched. I’ve been the captain and a selector for the team at various times. We can make significant improvements to women’s cricket because there’s a great scope for improvement in that department. We want to become a force to be reckoned with, and the upcoming women’s World T20 – the first standalone women’s World T20 – signifies it’s time for us to leave our mark on the game.”The most recently retired player to be part of the committee, Misbah-ul-Haq, who is still active in the domestic circuit, said he felt he understood the problems facing domestic cricket. “It’s a good opportunity for all of us to share our ideas and make suggestions to the board. There’s a great need for improvement.”Misbah had shared video footage of squalid dressing rooms at the LCCA ground in Lahore during the first round of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy this year, sparking nation-wide criticism. It triggered a wider conversation about the need to invest in the first-class game, for which Misbah has been an ardent spokesman for several years.”The first-class cricketers are the only ones we have that will go on to represent Pakistan at international level. So we need to provide them with the requisite facilities and make domestic cricket competitive, otherwise you can never improve the standard of cricket in your country.”That I am still playing enables me to get a first-hand account of the current problems facing first-class cricketers. This speeds up the implementation process, because you don’t need to ask anyone else about the realities on the ground. We want to have a significantly improved
domestic system by the time the next Quaid-e-Azam trophy season rolls around.”It was telling most of the talk about the functioning of the committee concerned first-class cricket, the plight of which has begun to receive increasing attention over the past few years. It may be suggestive of the area most of the committee’s attention will be devoted to. The problems range anywhere from substandard pitches and the wrong types of balls used to poorly thought-out schedules that see the Quaid-e-Azam trophy pushed to the margins of the cricketing season in Pakistan. This year, the tournament began on September 1 in searing heat, the earliest it has begun since 1969.As ever with Pakistan cricket, there are motifs of a power struggle in the background. Exactly what the committee will discuss with the head coach – who they must meet at least three times a year – is not yet clear, but what is obvious is some bridges will have to be built if those discussions are to be productive. Just last week, the committee’s chair Mohsin Khan was contemptuously withering in his assessment of head coach Mickey Arthur, calling him a “stupid donkey”. Whether he can offer more constructive advice than that, or indeed whether Arthur and his coaches are willing to take it on board, will be fascinating subplots to watch out for over the coming months.

The players who will be taking centre stage during the Women’s Big Bash League which starts this weekend

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2018

Adelaide Strikers

Last season: 4thSuzie Bates, Sam Betts, Sarah Coyte, Sophie Devine, Eliza Doddridge, Ellie Falconer, Danielle Hazell, Tahila McGrath, Tegan McPharlin, Bridget Patterson, Katelyn Pope, Alex Price, Tabatha Saville, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Brisbane Heat

Last season: 5thJemma Barsby, Haidee Birkett, Josie Dooley, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Delissa Kimmince, Sune Luus, Beth Mooney, Georgia Prestwidge, Kirby Short, Courtney Sippel, Laura Wolvaardt

Hobart Hurricanes

Last season: 8thStefanie Daffara, Ash Day, Erin Fazackerley, Kate Fryett, Corinne Hall, Brooke Hepburn, Heather Knight, Smriti Mandhana, Hayley Matthews, Sasha Moloney, Rhiann O’Donnell, Meg Phillips, Veronica Pyke, Georgia Redmayne, Emma Thompson

Melbourne Renegades

Last season: 6thMaitlan Brown, Zoe Cooke, Jess Duffin, Emma Inglis, Erica Kershaw, Claire Koski, Anna Lanning, Sophie Molineux, Amy Satterthwaite, Molly Strano, Lea Tahuhu, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Danni Wyatt

Melbourne Stars

Last season: 7thMckinlay Blows, Kristen Beams, Elly Donald, Mignon du Preez, Georgia Elwiss, Nicole Faltum, Holly Ferling, Nicola Hancock, Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Katie Mack, Erin Osborne, Chloe Rafferty, Ange Reakes, Annabel Sutherland

Perth Scorchers

Last season: 3rdMegan Banting, Nicole Bolton, Hayleigh Brennan, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Kate Cross, Lauren Ebsary, Heather Graham, Amy Jones, Emma King, Meg Lanning, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo, Emily Smith, Elyse Villani

Sydney Sixers

Last season: 1stSarah Aley, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Clara Iemma, Marizanne Kapp, Carly Leeson, Sara McGlashan, Ellyse Perry, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Lauren Smith, Dane van Niekerk, Tahlia Wilson

Sydney Thunder

Last season: 2ndSam Bates, Alex Blackwell, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Rene Farrell, Maisy Gibson, Lisa Griffith, Rachael Haynes, Saskia Horley, Harmanpreet Kaur, Rachel Priest, Naomi Stalenberg, Stafanie Taylor, Rachel Trenaman, Belinda Vakarewa

He said that he had accepted Warner’s advice because he “just wanted to fit in and feel valued” in the team

Daniel Brettig26-Dec-2018Cameron Bancroft has confirmed for the first time that David Warner encouraged him to try to tamper with the ball in Cape Town with the tacit approval of the captain Steven Smith, leading to a scandal that saw all three banned from the game while Cricket Australia dealt with a host of cultural repercussions.The week after Smith revealed he had been aware of conversation between Warner and Bancroft about possible ball-tampering and stated “I don’t want to know about it”, thus allowing the events that followed to take place, Bancroft said that he had accepted the then vice-captain’s advice because he “just wanted to fit in and feel valued” in the team.ALSO READ: Smith opens up on Newlands ‘leadership failure’
“Dave [Warner] suggested to me to carry the action out on the ball given the situation we were in in the game and I didn’t know any better,” Bancroft told . “I didn’t know any better because I just wanted to fit in and feel valued, really – as simple as that.”For me the decision was based around my values. What I valued at the time. I valued fitting in. And I guess you hope that fitting in earns you respect and with that I guess there came a really big cost for the mistake. At the time did I know any better? No. Because I valued this thing called fitting in, fitting in with the team, with my mates, earning respect from senior players and I guess that it led to an absolutely destructive situation, emotionally, personally and I lost cricket for that period of time.”But the really, really interesting thing…I’ve asked myself this question a lot. If I had said ‘no’, what would that have meant? And the thing that I’ve inquired and thought about so often is that if I actually said ‘no’, and I went to bed that night, I had the exact same problem. I had some the problem that I had using the sandpaper on the cricket ball.”And the problem was that I would have gone to bed and I would have felt like I let everybody down. I would have felt like I’d let the team down. I would have felt like I would have hurt our chances to win the game of cricket.”I take no other responsibility but the responsibility I have on myself and my own actions because I am not a victim. I had a choice and I made a massive mistake and that is what is in my control.”Having been handed a nine-month ban by CA, as opposed to the one year penalties given to Warner and Smith, Bancroft is due to make his return to domestic ranks in the Big Bash League game between Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston on December 30.In the intervening months he has worked to broaden himself, taking up yoga and reading widely in addition to the CA-imposed order to do community work and playing club cricket in The Northern Territory and also his home town of Perth.Towards the end of his suspension, Bancroft said that the cultural lessons of Cape Town and the subsequent Longstaff and McCosker cultural reviews would be lost on CA as an organisation if the governing body was not as honest and self-critical as he had been compelled to be.”The reason why it was painful is because the truth hurts. Maybe in that review there was some truths that were pretty hard to accept,” Bancroft said. “What does that bring? It brings an amazing opportunity to do something about it. Only Cricket Australia will know if they are being true to themselves, to be able to own up to some of those recommendations.”If they can look at themselves in the mirror and be really content and be really peaceful, and proud of the direction they’re going, that’s OK. If they aren’t, like me, that value will always come undone won’t it? It will present itself in the face to you and you’ll have to learn another lesson.”

Toby Radford and Esuan Crandon also named among coaching staff for England series

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2019Vasbert Drakes, the former West Indies allrounder, has been named as one of three assistant coaches for the forthcoming Test series against England by the interim head coach ,Richard Pybus.Drakes, who played 12 Tests and 34 ODIs between 1995 and 2004, was the head coach of West Indies women when they emulated the men’s squad in winning the 2016 World T20 in India – a tournament that Pybus oversaw in his role as Windies team director.Drakes will be working alongside the former Guyana allrounder Esuan Crandon and the former Middlesex and Sussex batsman Toby Radford, who was the men’s assistant coach during the 2012 World T20, another campaign that ended in silverware for the men’s squad.”It is an honour to be back working with West Indies cricket again,” said Drakes. “As someone who played the game at the highest level, it has always been my wish to contribute to West Indies cricket and give back to the young players.”We have a tremendous group of players here, full of ambition and hungry for success. Our role as coaches is to offer leadership and sound advice and to share knowledge and create an environment of learning. I want to see West Indies cricket grow and flourish.”Crandon, who coached the Guyana Jaguars to four consecutive Regional First-class titles, will complete the coaching set-up alongside the former Pakistan spin bowler, Mushtaq Ahmed, who will continue in his role as spin bowling consultant.”I am passionate about the game of cricket and a true supporter of West Indies cricket, so ultimately I want to make a contribution to the game in the region and see the players perform at their best,” Crandon said. “I am a calm individual and I’m here to do what is required to help the team succeed … that’s what I enjoy doing, coaching and helping others.”Pybus’ appointment as interim coach was last week ratified by CWI despite a protest from the Leewards Islands Cricket Board (LICB) who claimed that he had been “handpicked” by the CWI president, Dave Cameron after not originally appearing in the shortlist for the role.