GCB: Time to Evaluate Bennett King
Mon, Jan 16, '06
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has written to the WICB asking for an immediate "evaluation" of the performance of head coach Bennett King, suggesting that the million-dollar investment in the all-Australian coaching staff isn't paying off.
"We are calling for a review of the coach's performance and challenging that US$1 million a year investment," GCB spokesman Terry Holder told CaribbeanCricket.com. "It just isn't working and it doesn't appear that it will work."
Holder confirmed the letter from the GCB was sent to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) asking for a review of the expenditure to determine whether the cash-strapped board can sustain spending US$1 million a year on a team operations unit and coaching staff when the team continues to under-perform.
According to information reaching CaribbeanCricket.com, the GCB action is the direct result of a cold war that erupted between Bennett King and captain Shiv Chanderpaul during the recent tour of Australia.
Chanderpaul complained to the GCB that he was left out of team meetings and selection decisions while on tour. "When everyone was saying that the returning players were undermining the captain, the real problem was that (Shiv) was being undermined by management. He never got the support of the coach," one source said.
The new team structure calls for the captain to lead the team on the field and carry out the strategy and tactics as determined "in collaboration with the Head Coach," but Chanderpaul told the GCB executive that he was overruled on decisions regarding the toss and was never even involved in key decisions on tour.
"It was coach, the assistant coach and the manager making all the decision. And Shiv was hung out to dry and take all the blame," said one GCB executive.
"This is the first captain in the history of West Indies cricket that has been so badly miniaturised."
The GCB's Holder said the letter to the WICB does not mention any rift between Chanderpaul and the coach but instead asks that King's performance since taking over the team last November be reviewed.
"It's no secret that the board is dissatisfied with what's happening. At our annual presentation ceremony, Chetty publicly said that we are not happy with that kind of investment in a coaching staff at this time," Holder said.
Bennett King did not respond to several requests from CaribbeanCricket.com for an interview. WICB chief executive Roger Brathwaite was travelling and could not be reached for comment.