More changes in the Windies team

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Pat Rousseau said on Tuesday that further changes in team personnel could well follow Monday's sacking of West Indies team manager Ricky Skerritt.

Skerritt was axed after a series of poor performances by the West Indies who have recently struggled to find any form.

They lost their home test series to South Africa 2-1 earlier this month and were also beaten 5-2 in the one-day series.

"The thing is not whimsical; it is based on an assessment of performance," Rousseau said of Skerritt's dismissal.

He added that the WICB would continue to make changes "until we get the thing working efficiently".

"If what is going to be suggested is that we perpetuate positions when we're not satisfied, mainly because changes could be disruptive, then you won't get any support from me for that," Rousseau said.

Skerritt is the latest high-profile casualty in the Windies camp after team psychologist Joe Hoad claimed last Thursday that he had resigned after criticising the attitude of the players.

Director of coaching, Reg Scarlett, has since taken charge of the West Indies for their two-week training camp in Trinidad, which began on Monday, with help from team physiotherapist Ronald Rogers.

Former players Andy Roberts and Gordon Greenidge have been recruited as bowling and batting coaches respectively.

Rousseau said a new team manager would be chosen in the next few days for the forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya which starts on July 17.

Coach Roger Harper, who has been in Zimbabwe to get first-hand experience of what West Indies can expect when they reach the African continent, joined the training camp on Tuesday.

The West Indies team for the African tour is expected to be announced on Thursday with the Board having already approved the nomination of Carl Hooper as captain.

Mail Cricket Editor