‘New coach can lead to conflict’

A LEADING Trinidad and Tobago cricket official is warning about the increased powers to be granted to the incoming coach of the West Indies team. Alloy Lequay, Chief Executive Officer of the TT Cricket Board said yesterday the new authority handed to the coach under the restructuring of the administration of the regional game could lead to conflict. Admitting that he has no problem with a foreign coach charting the course of the Caribbean cricketers, Lequay said that the transition is a very sensitive matter and must be handled with consensus and dialogue.

“I am concerned about how the new coach will relate to the captain, players and manager. For the first time a coach will be part of the selection process and will have the authority to pick the final team and issue instructions to the captain on the field of play,” said Lequay. “It is a new procedure and I would hope that the process to introduce it is understood by all parties else it will lead to conflict,” he said. “You must understand that there are very strong personalities currently involved in the game and everyone must understand their role in the new setup. There must be dialogue where complaints could be dealth with in an open and fair manner,” said Lequay.

Widely regarded as the father of modern day Trinidad and Tobago cricket, Lequay who recently celebrated his 80th birthday said it was irrelevant whether the new coach of the West Indies team is a Caribbean person or a foreigner. Reprts indicate the former Australian captain Greg Chappell is the main candidate being wooed by the West Indies Cricket Board to replace Trinidadian Gus Logie for the job. Logie’s contract was terminated on September 30 “by mutaual consent” according to WICB spokesman Leonard Robertson. Logie, a former solid middle-order batsman and exciting fieldsman was contracted last year for a two-year period after the WICB’s initial choice, Bennett King of Australia, turned down the job. Lequay said yesterday he was not impressed with Logie’s stint as team manager judging from the results as he won just four Tests out of 22 but won 22 of 29 One-Day Internationals.

Among the one-day victories is the prestigious ICC Champions Trophy tournament, dubbed the “MiniWorld Cup” last month in London, England. “If you use English football as an example, after three defeats a manager has to go. In the final analysis, results will be the determining factor,” said Lequay. However he argued that one can say that captain Brian Lara’s results have similarly not been good. “But there are other factors such as the team at his disposal and the number of players who have been rotated. A job cannot be done without the proper tools,” Lequay said. Affectionately called “Chief”, Lequay said that without the proper resources, nothing meaningful can be achieved and he is hoping that the introduction of the new administrative structure is handled with care and diligence to ensure its success.