Spin bowling, and more specifically wrist spin, has been seen as a crucial problem affecting West Indies batsmen over the past several years. Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced on Jan. 15 that it had launched three “groundbreaking” high-performance programs, which it hopes will help take the participants’ games to another level.

On Jan. 11, CWI started the specialized high-performance batting spin and spin-bowling camps, featuring 30 players from across the region who are under the guidance of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) academy coach Sriram Krishnamurthi and spin-bowling coach Amar Rashid. The camp concluded on Jan. 17.

“The initiatives brought together international expertise and regional talent in an unprecedented effort to strengthen both playing and coaching capabilities,” the CWI release said.

“The first two initiatives focus on advanced batting techniques against spin bowling and enhancing spin bowling capabilities with a focus on wrist-spin.”

The camps featured talented young batsmen such as West Indies under-19 standout Jewel Andrew, Teddy Bishop, Jordan Johnson, Matthew Nandu, and the out-of-favor Windies trio of John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and Kirk McKenzie.

Among the spinners are the T&T trio of Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Navin Bidaisee, and Hayden Walsh, Joshua Bishop,  Zaban Motara.
CWI said the camp builds on the experience gained by seven of the young batsmen at the CSK academy in India in December.

The third initiative among the high-performance programs was a coaching symposium held at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, from Jan. 13 to 15.

“The symposium’s key objectives included bringing clarity to coaches on the requirements for developing and managing players at the franchise level to meet the West Indies brand,” the release said.

“It also aimed at empowering and enabling a collaborative learning community among coaches to achieve world-class outcomes.”
Windies white-ball coach Daren Sammy, set to take over the reins as Test coach on April 1, was one of six presenters at the coaching symposium, including CWI coaching development consultant James Davidson and CSK academy coaches delivering sessions.

The symposium was attended by 11 franchise coaches and two Combined Campuses and Colleges team coaches.

“These parallel programs represent a strategic investment in West Indies cricket’s future,” said CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe.

“The combination of specialized player development through our high-performance camp and the elevation of coaching standards through the symposium creates a powerful framework for success.”

“Particularly exciting for us is the way we have connected our recent initiatives, like the CSK academy experience, with these new programs to create continuous development pathways. This comprehensive approach ensures we’re developing both our current and next generation of cricket professionals in alignment with modern cricket demands.”