Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

From left, former West Indies cricketer Lance Gibbs, WI captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, Tony Howard, acting chief cricket operations officer of the WICB, Kieran Foley, Digicel Group head of sponsorship, and West Indian players Denesh Ramdin and Chris Gayle, at Thursday’s launch of the Digicel Cricket Coaching Clinics in Barbados. - Contributed

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados:

WEST INDIES skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan, Christopher Gayle, who served as captain during the recent one-day series in England and Ireland, and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin are part of a team which will assist in honing the skills of the region’s youngsters during the Digicel Cricket Coaching Clinics.

The three will join Windies legend Lance Gibbs, along with head coaches and former regional stars Kenneth Benjamin and Keith Arthurton, in coaching at the clinics which will serve as part of Digicel’s commitment to help develop the sport regionally.

Details were announced during a press launch hosted by the telecommunications service provider on Thursday when it was also announced that six countries would host the clinics.

Each of the training programmes will be run over three consecutive days with Barbados leading off the innings with its clinic which started yesterday and runs through to tomorrow at the 3Ws Oval at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus.

Trinidad and Tobago are next up in the order with a camp scheduled for its National Cricket Centre from July 26-28.

Action will then shift west to Jamaica for a clinic to run from July 30 to August 1 at the country’s main venue for international matches, Sabina Park. Guyana, from August 3-5, at a location to be announced, Arnos Vale in St. Vincent from August 7-9, and the Falmouth Cricket Ground in Antigua, from August 11-13, will host the other clinics.

Sarwan welcomed the opportunity, noting its importance in nurturing regional talent.

“I’m delighted that Digicel has given us this opportunity to coach the Digicel cricket clinics over the next six weeks,” noted the Windies skipper, who was forced to return home after picking up an injury early on the recent England tour. “It is important for the future that we use all oppor-tunities to nurture young talent in the Caribbean and give back some of what we’ve learnt from being part of the West Indies cricket team.”

Anticipation of turnouts

In anticipation of turnouts at the clinics and assistance from other West Indies greats, Sarwan, a 27-year-old right-handed batsman with nine Test and three ODI centuries, added: “Myself, Chris and Denesh are looking forward to meeting Windies fans as well as getting some tips ourselves from Sir Gary (Sobers) and other former Windies players.”

Gibbs, one of the region’s finest ever spinners, labelled the clinics a “fantastic development.”

According to him, “The Digicel Cricket Coaching clinics are a fantastic development as we look to develop the next generation of cricketers in the West Indies. The traditions we have and the success we’ve enjoyed over the years needsto be maintained, so it’s wonderful to see Digicel listening to the people of the Caribbean and supporting the development of cricket.”

Gibbs added: “After this week’s fantastic announcement of the extension to the WICB sponsorship, the clinics are the perfect example of the steps that Digicel has promised to take in further supporting the progression of West Indies cricket.”