Former West Indies batter, Robert Samuels has been appointed as Interim Head Coach of the West Indies Women’s team for their upcoming limited overs away series against Ireland. Notably, Samuels has served as an assistant coach to Courtney Walsh until April 2023. But CWI then decided not to renew both of their contracts along with Assistant Coach Corey Collymore. Samuels enjoyed a rich career in the cricketing field where he featured in six ODIs for the Windies between 1996 & 1997 & also played 106 first-class & 77 List-A fixtures.
“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.”
Two more Interim Coaches will join Robert Samuels for the Ireland White Ball series
Samuels will also have Interim Coaches for his assistance in the face of former West Indies offspinner Ryan Austin and former Leeward Islands captain Steve Liburd. Less did people know that Captain Steve Liburd is the Head Coach of the West Indies U19 Rising Stars. The trio will take up their respective roles with West Indies Women’s three-match ODI series against Ireland to be played from June 26 to July 2. This series is crucial for both West Indies & Ireland Women as it is a part of the Women’s Championship cycle. At the end of the Women’s Championship five teams will directly march into the World Cup 2025. West Indies are currently lying at the second last spot in the Women’s Championship Points table after losing five out of six fixtures.
The IND vs WI ODI series will kickstart with the ODI series followed by the three-match T20I series which will be played from June 26 to July 2. All the six white ball fixtures will be played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia. Currently, the West Indies squad is training in St Lucia for the crucial Ireland series.
