West Indies to offer Gibson new deal

Ottis Gibson is to be offered a renewed coaching contract by the West Indies as they try to tie up a new deal in the face of continued interest from Warwickshire.

The West Indies Board has approved a recommendation from the cricket committee to offer a new contract to Gibson and the team manager, Richie Richardson, following a meeting in St Lucia at the weekend.

He has yet to accept the deal and, although the West Indies Board said that the contract renewal was "pending completion of negotiations which are expected to be concluded shortly", that could also depend on the outcome of a second interview with Warwickshire.

Gibson, who played at county level for Glamorgan, Leicestershire and Durham, was interviewed in Birmingham on Tuesday by Warwickshire who are seeking to appoint a replacement for Giles, England's new one-day and Twenty20 coach.

It is likely that he is in a three-way contest for the Warwickshire job with two members of the current Edgbaston coaching staff, Graeme Welch and Dougie Brown, whose interviews were also due today.

Gibson's work ethic and desire to foster unity in West Indies cricket has never been in doubt and his stock has risen following West Indies' securing of the World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka in October.

He travelled with the West Indies squad which is due to arrive in Australia on Wednesday for their first international series of the year: a five-match ODI rubber in Australia.

The WICB is yet to reveal the details of their contract offer, but it is likely to be of a further period of three years.

Reports emerged that he was one of Warwickshire's preferred candidates as replacement for Ashley Giles, who vacated the post shortly before Christmas to take charge of England's one-day side. Warwickshire are about to embark upon a second round of interviews.

The WICB has routinely played down the possibility that Gibson might yet reject the deal. But concern that he might be spirited away from Warwickshire could have quickened consideration of whether to offer him a new contract.

Gibson was the bowling coach with England for two years before he took over the West Indies job. In addition he had having played for more than a decade at counties like Durham, Glamorgan and Leicestershire.

According to the Trinidad Guardian, Gibson was present in St Lucia last weekend and outlined his position to WICB directors.