Gray: I am Carib Beer series coach

SUCCESSFUL West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) advance level coach Anthony Gray has been chosen as coach of the Trinidad and Tobago senior team for next year’s Carib Beer series. Gray replying to a request by Phil Simmons said  yesterday: “I have been asked by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board to coach the national team for the 2004 Carib Beer series.” Simmons was quoted as saying  he is interested in coaching the team for the forthcoming season. Gray who has a very impressive record as a national youth coach was at the helm of the senior national team for the 2003 Red Stripe Bowl series. He also led the national Under-19 team to an unprecedented double in the recent TCL Group Under-19 Regional Cricket Challenge. Gray, a  former West Indies Test pacer, has the imposing record of leading  the national youths to two titles, two finals and a semi-final during the past four seasons.

And he has come  in for high praise from youth team manager Roland Sampath after scoring the historic double this year. “Tony is an excellent coach. He always has a plan and what’s important is that he is able to get his message across to the players,” Sampath said. Yesterday Gray said: “As far as the 2004 Carib Cup is concerned, I think Trinidad and Tobago can win the title. “The guys have the talent to go all the way and I am confident we can take the crown.” Trinidad and Tobago were only knocked out of this year’s Red Stripe Bowl at the semi-final stage by last year’s champs Barbados. And Gray gave as the reason for his team’s defeat the failure of the batsmen.

He said: “Before the game against Barbados we had a very fruitful team meeting. A plan was discussed and the players were to go out there and execute it. “The bowlers stuck to their task but the batsmen failed us. I told them to bat as if  it were a four-day game and the runs would come but they didn’t heed my  advice,” he lamented. “The batting problems are habitual and I think that with a little patience we will be able to correct that and get the guys in good shape in the not too distant future,” Gray said. Gray in the meantime is working on a programme for the national cricketers, to prepare them for the 2004 first class season.