Robert Samuels appointed interim head coach of West Indies Women for Ireland series

Former West Indies batter Robert Samuels has been appointed interim head coach of the West Indies women's side for their upcoming limited-overs series against Ireland at home. Samuels had been assistant coach to Courtney Walsh until April, when Cricket West Indies (CWI) had decided not to renew their contracts as well as that of the other assistant coach Corey Collymore.

Samuels played six Tests and eight ODIs for West Indies in 1996 and 1997, and played 106 first-class and 77 List A games.

"Robert brings continuity and stability to get the team through this period," CWI High Performance Manager Graeme West said of Samuels' appointment. "He has great knowledge of the players and the women's game in general - and strong knowledge of the support staff - so it's almost a seamless transition with Robert coming in as Interim Head Coach.

"He has his own ideas, and is trying to implement them now as Interim Head Coach as opposed to assistant coach. He has made a good impact and start over the last few days, and I'm sure it will continue throughout the series."

Samuels will have interim assistant coaches in former West Indies offspinner Ryan Austin and former Leeward Islands captain Steve Liburd, who is head coach of the West Indies Women's Under-19 Rising Stars.

The trio's first assignment begins with West Indies Women's three-match ODI series against Ireland from June 26 to July 2. The series will be part of the Women's Championship, at the end of which the top five sides will directly qualify for the World Cup in 2025. West Indies are currently second from bottom on the 10-team table, with five defeats in six games.

The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is from July 5 to 9. All six white-ball matches will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, where an 18-member West Indies squad is currently training ahead of the series.