Unfair to sack Logie says Sir Gary

BRIDGETOWN:  Legendary former West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers has condemned the idea to employ a foreigner to the post of coaching supremo of the West Indies cricket team. Sir Garfield gave this opinion in a television interview during Monday’s welcome reception for Brian Lara’s West Indies team that won the ICC Champions Trophy limited-overs series in Britain last Saturday. “I don’t agree with foreign coaches because they would have plenty of work to do in the West Indies,” Sir Garfield said. “They would have to travel around to know all the players who have been playing for the last five to 10 years. They’ve got to look at them and assess them and I don’t think they’d be able to do that with any confidence.

Whoever took up the post would need somebody alongside them to assist.” The West Indies Cricket Board is set to name a new coach with additional powers and responsibility for the team and it is widely believed that the job could go to a non-West Indian. Sir Garfield added that it may be a little unfair at this time to replace Gus Logie, the incumbent coach, but the former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies batsman knew for himself that his record was not quite up to the mark. “For quite some time, even before Logie came on the scene, things were going badly and they went down further,” he said. “In football and other professional sports, if the coach or manager is not doing well, they don’t waste time. They get rid of them immediately.” Under Logie’s guidance, West Indies lost 10 of the 16 Tests, but won 15 of 25 limited-overs internationals. (CMC)