West Indies Appoints Carl Hooper as Assistant Coach for World Cup Qualifiers. In preparation for their World Cup qualifying campaign, the West Indies cricket team has appointed former captain Carl Hooper as the assistant coach to new coach Daren Sammy. Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced on Thursday that Hooper, along with Floyd Reifer from Barbados, and former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin, will join the coaching staff.

Hooper, hailing from Guyana, holds an impressive cricketing record as the first player in the world to achieve 5,000 runs, 100 wickets, 100 catches, and 100 caps in both One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test matches. This remarkable feat was later equaled by South African Jacques Kallis. Primarily an off-spinner and middle-order batsman, Hooper played for the West Indies from 1987 to 2003 before settling in Australia post-retirement.

With coaching experience in India, Dubai, and various franchises in the Caribbean Premier League, Hooper expressed his enthusiasm about the opportunity to assist the West Indies team. “When I was initially approached by Daren about the potential opportunity, I immediately confirmed my interest, as I really want to help with the challenge and make a meaningful impact,” said Hooper. He firmly believes that it is time for West Indies cricket to rise and is confident that his knowledge, experience, and abilities will contribute to this endeavor.

Ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, the West Indies one-day team will play three warm-up matches in the United Arab Emirates before heading to Zimbabwe. Having failed to qualify automatically, they will now compete in the 10-team tournament to secure one of the remaining two slots for the main event, scheduled to be held in India later this year. West Indies has been placed in Group A, where they will face Zimbabwe (the hosts), the United States, the Netherlands, and Nepal.

CWI also announced the coaching staff for the test team, with Jamaican Andre Coley leading the way. Former West Indies players Kenny Benjamin, Stuart Williams, and Rayon Griffith will assist Coley in coaching the team.