BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CRICKET WEST INDIES (CWI) has confirmed Desmond Haynes as the new Chief Selector of the men’s senior team following the recruitment process, after clearing out the incumbents.
Haynes, a former opening batsman for the West Indies senior team, played 116 Test matches and 238 One-Day Internationals between 1978 and 1994, during which time he scored 7487 runs in Tests, including 18 centuries and 8,648 runs in ODIs, including 17 centuries.
The Hall of Famer was recently honored by the University of the West Indies with an Honorary Doctorate Degree and is a former Senator in the Parliament of Barbados.
He was confirmed as the new Men’s Team Lead Selector during a meeting of the CWI Board of Directors on Thursday (Jan. 6).
Commenting on the announcement, CWI President Ricky Skerritt said: “I am delighted to confirm that the Most Hon. Dr. Desmond Haynes has agreed to re-join the CWI cricket system as the Lead Selector. His cricket knowledge and experience are second to none, and I am confident that Desmond is the right man for the right job, at the right time.”
Haynes replaced Roger Harper who came in for heavy criticism for his choices of personnel for the recent team selection for the 2021, T20 World Cup.
The Caribbean side had a dismal performance that saw them crashing out at the first hurdle.
The legendary cricketer thanked President Skerritt and the CWI Board of Directors for being given the opportunity to serve West Indies cricket.
“Being a Selector is a thankless task, but a critical role in our cricket system and I am honoured to be appointed. I have always indicated that I would assist West Indies cricket in anyway possible and I see this as an opportunity to do just that. I pledge to carry out my duties in a fair and professional manner,” he added.
Haynes will be at the helm until June 30,2024, spanning four ICC Global Events, two T20 World Cups (2022 & 2024), the Cricket World Cup (2023) and the World Test Championship Final (2023), Cricket West Indies said in a media statement.
