CWI name Andre Coley as interim coach for tours of Zimbabwe, South Africa

Cricket West Indies (CWI) have named Andre Coley as the interim coach for their tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa. The apex cricket board further confirmed the exits of assistant coaches Roddy Estwick and Monty Desai with their contracts ended.

Coley takes over the coaching duties from Phil Simmons, who resigned as head coach after West Indies' debacle in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The 48-year-old expressed his delight to oversee the side in their forthcoming tours against the African nations.

"To be asked to oversee the West Indies team on the upcoming tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa is a special honour. West Indies cricket holds a special place in my heart. The upcoming assignment will be challenging as we will come up against two teams in their home conditions. We will need to ensure that our planning and preparation are appropriate, and demonstrate consistency in the execution of these plans, to give ourselves the best opportunity to achieve positive results,” said Coley as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"The players, I'm sure, are enthusiastic about the opportunities that both series should offer and are eager to contribute to our team's success. I look forward to the tours ahead and the opportunity to make a tangible and meaningful contribution to the growth of West Indies cricket,” added Coley.

West Indies play Zimbabwe and South Africa starting in February 2023

The Windies will lock horns with Zimbabwe first in a two-match Test series in February and will then jet off to the South African soil. They will cross swords with the Proteas in a multi-format series which includes two Tests followed by three ODIs and T20Is.

Coley was the assistant coach of the West Indies side that triumphed in the T20 World Cup in 2016. He recently helped the Jamaica Tallawahs to claim the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title earlier this year. Undoubtedly, the Windies under the management of Coley will be optimistic ahead of the forthcoming tours and will look to overcome their recent failures in the T20 World Cup and the series against Australia.