David Williams appointed assistant coach

David Williams, the former West Indian wicketkeeper and current coach of Trinidad and Tobago, has been appointed assistant coach to the West Indies team that will travel to South Africa for the Twenty20 World Championship in September.

Williams, in charge of the Trinidad and Tobago senior team since 2003, will work under David Moore, the interim head coach, as part of the team management for the series. Williams has been coach of the T&T team during a purple patch of regional success which has included two one-day titles and three four-day titles in four years. Last year, Williams was rewarded by the West Indian authorities with the coach's post for the West Indies A team that played a series in the Caribbean against their Sri Lankan counterparts.

Williams said he was honoured by the appointment. "It is an honour," said Williams. "It is one of the highlights of my coaching career. It is all part of a process of graduation. I am quite happy with the appointment and it is something that all coaches look forward to."

Also at their meeting over the weekend in Barbados, the board ratified the selection of Ramnaresh Sarwan as captain and Chris Gayle as vice-captain of the team for the ICC tournament which starts in South Africa on September 11. The other members of the team management for this tour are Michael Findlay (manager), Richard Smith (fitness and conditioning coach), Jacqueline King-Mowatt (physiotherapist) and Imran Khan (media liaison officer).

Julian Hunte, the newly-installed president of the WICB, will also be in South Africa on ICC-related business, and will meet with the players and management before the series starts. While there, Hunte is expected to meet with Sir Allen Stanford, invited by the ICC to the final of the tournament, and other representatives of the Stanford 20/20 organisation.

According to the WICB release: "It is hoped that a meeting will be held among Sir Allen, ICC representatives and the WICB President, Hon. Dr. Julian R. Hunte on September 23, 2007 in Johannesburg. Regarding the proposed Stanford 20/20 regional tournament to be held in January - February 2008, a formal agreement has not yet been signed but the board has included the event in its 2007-2008 cricket calendar."

On the security front, Hunte is expected to collaborate with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) to have an ICC-recommended security consultant visit Zimbabwe to review arrangements for the safety and security of the West Indies team who are scheduled, as part of the ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP), to tour Zimbabwe in November.

The WICB also agreed to advertise for a new CEO in the light of the acceptance of Bruce Aanensen's resignation even though the management and staff audit, approved at their meeting on July 29, 2007, is currently taking place. The board has also agreed to work in conjunction with WIPA on a Benevolent Fund for past players.