How not to hire a coach
by LAWRENCE ROMEOIn just under two months, the West Indies will embark on their third tour of South Africa. However, they have yet to name a replacement for head coach for Bennett King who quit back in April after the completion of the World Cup.
In the meantime, the cricket committee has started an application process and has received applications from eight local coaches, in addition to Dav Whatmore and Otis Gibson; Gibson who is an ex WI player who lives in England, and Whatmore is Australian.
Predictably, the lack of a streamlined process caused the WICB to tip their hand as to whom their preferred candidates were, and in the interim, other cricket boards have snapped up both Whatmore and Gibson. Whatmore who has gone to the India academy, and Gibson, who is currently on assignment in Sri Lanka with the English team slated to replace Alan Donald as the England bowling coach.
In examining the methods used by the BCCI and the ECB to hire these two men, it is apparent that the boards did not waste time on a drawn-out application process; they were identified, contacted about their interest in job, and offered a contract. Simple, direct and efficient is the way to go!
The WICB in their infinite wisdom has taken a hiring process that should be simple and added so many unnecessary layers that it has become cumbersome and is guaranteed not to come up with the best candidate available. Generally, in the competitive world of sports, when an organization is identifying candidates for a high profile position, the protocol is to form a search committee, short list them, contact them to gauge their interest, then bring in the one or two final candidates for interviews so that the choice can be made.
Given the problems that arose, first when Wes Hall attempted to hire Bennett King, and finally when Teddy Griffith hired him, one would have thought that the WICB would learn from their mistakes, and try not to repeat them. The prime coaches would not apply for the position, simply because they are probably already under contract, or, under the assumption that if they are wanted by a country in any capacity, the managing board of that country would approach them and get the ball rolling.
If one were to examine the candidates that are left to choose from, it can be noted that even though there might be excellent coaches in the group, in the main they are all short of international coaching experience. Of the remaining three West Indian born coaches with international experience that we do have at our disposal, two of them have not even applied. It is almost a certainty then that the next coach will be inexperienced at the highest level, and the question must be asked, whether the WICB will give him the budget and the support staffs that he would need to carry out his duties effectively. We all saw how Roger Harper and Gus Logie were treated, compounded by the support, or rather lack of, that they got from the board.
The West Indies has to tighten up its act when it comes to the recruitment and hiring of key personnel. The new president, Julian Hunte, could focus on during his tenure this one area, or bring in management consultants to streamline the process. In the meantime, no coach will be watching the KFC competition with an eye to identifying flaws that the players need to work on.
At this stage, the best possible course of action would be for the Cricket Committee to contact Roger Harper who has recently resigned his Kenya post and ask him whether he is available to take over the team. If he is available, they should then come up with a budget and let him choose his coaching staff from the available Caribbean coaching personnel.
The current way of doing things is unworkable and is a recipe for disaster.