WICB appoint Monty Desai as West Indies batting coach

The Kieron Pollard-led West Indies cricket team is currently on the tour of India where they will lock horns with the Men in Blue for a three-match T20I series followed by as many One-day Internationals. The West Indies batsmen are in for a trial by spin and in a bid to acclimatize, Monty Desai has been appointed as their batting coach for the men’s team on a two-year contract.

Desai has been a prominent figure when it comes to coaching around the world. Monty has previously had stints with Canada as their head coach for the ICC World Cricket League Division 02. He then took up the role of Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates batting coach in the ICC Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup qualifiers in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The West Indies Cricket Board announced their decision of appointing Desai as batting coach in a statement. “Desai joined the West Indies ahead of the start of the T20 International Series against India, which bowls off on Friday, December 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad,” WICB said in a statement as quoted by CricBuzz.

Phil Simmons looking forward to working with Monty Desai, again!

Head Coach Phil Simmons expressed his excitement at working alongside Monty and remained hopeful that it will help the youngsters to delve into the insights with Monty and pave way for their improvement. “I have worked with Monty before and he is an excellent coach. He has proven he has the ability to get players to improve on their talent and also to perform better in matches.

He has vast knowledge of the game and it is good he is starting here with us in India. I look forward to seeing him work with our batsmen in all formats as we look to get better in all areas.” Simmons said. Monty Desai will join the West Indies team ahead of the first T20I against India, which is set to take place in Hyderabad on December 06 and the newly appointed batting coach thanked WICB for the opportunity.

“Let me first thank CWI for this incredible opportunity. I am very excited to join a team with such a rich history in the world cricket arena, one that I myself grew up admiring. I am very much looking forward to being part of a journey where I can help to create a winning work environment, learn and embrace a new culture, and build a ‘happy dressing room’ tradition alongside other excellent leaders.

“I am eager to join forces with Head Coach Phil Simmons and Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams, and our captains, such that I may contribute in every possible way to the success of our team,” Desai said.