YORKSHIRE, England – Former Barbados and West Indies all-rounder Ottis Gibson is to be the new head coach of English cricket’s most storied county club Yorkshire, on a three-year deal. Gibson becomes the first black coach of Yorkshire since being founded in 1863 and after it started playing in the county championship in 1890.
Gibson will start his new job at the end of February once his contract with the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League finishes next month. Gibson, 52, will have overall responsibility for the performance and management of the first team, supported by two assistant coaches who will be appointed shortly, the club said in a statement today.
“I’m extremely honoured and excited to be given the opportunity to join Yorkshire County Cricket Club as head coach. This is one of the most prestigious roles in English County Cricket and I am really looking forward to working with this talented group of players to take the club forward,” Gibson said.
He added that he had spoken at length with interim Managing Director of Yorkshire Cricket Darren Gough, to whom he will report, about the direction the club is heading in and he was excited to be a part of that future.
Gough described Gibson joining the club as “an important moment”.
“Ottis is one of the best coaches in the world and will be a fantastic addition. His knowledge, commitment, experience and cricket know-how will be vital for us as we move into pre-season and get ourselves up and running,” he said.
“We were absolutely blown away by the level of interest and quality of candidates for this role, but I have no doubt that he’s the best person for the job and will pick up the challenge with relish.”
Gibson joins Yorkshire with a wealth of coaching experience having previously performed the role of head coach for the West Indies and South Africa, and bowling coach for England and Bangladesh.
The former West Indies cricketer played two Test Matches and 15 One Day Internationals during his 17-year playing career and was in charge of the side during their 2012 T20 World Cup triumph. He also formed a key part of England’s backroom staff during two Ashes series victories.
“We’re delighted to welcome Ottis to the club,” Yorkshire chair Lord Patel said. “His playing and coaching credentials speak for themselves and he has had a distinguished career performing at the highest level.”
“He is someone that I know will encourage dialogue and help foster a culture of inclusion at the club, as well as supporting and developing the world-class talent we have here and pushing them to the next level,” he added.
Gibson’s appointment comes at a time when Yorkshire, which has won 33 county championship titles, more than any other club, is embroiled in controversy over accusations of institutionalized racism. Not only has the club lost some of its sponsors but Yorkshire was barred last year from staging international matches.
Gibson replaces Andrew Gale, who was sacked along with the rest of the coaching staff during the racism scandal surrounding former player Azeem Rafiq. An investigation into allegations by Pakistan-born Rafiq, who played for Yorkshire between 2008 and 2018, found that he was a victim of racial harassment and bullying.
In December Lord Patel stressed that changes were necessary at Yorkshire.
“Significant change is required at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and we are committed to taking whatever action is necessary to regain trust. Without making important changes to how we are run, we cannot move on from the past to become a culture which is progressive and inclusive. We are determined to learn from the mistakes of the past to become a Club which people can trust,” he said.
Gibson is the fourth black person overall to be head coach of an English county club. He follows in the footsteps of Jamaican Derief Taylor who played three years for Warwickshire from 1948 and then coached the club between 1951 and 1981. British-born, Barbados-reared Mark Alleyne and Barbadian John Shepherd also coached at Gloucestershire, Alleyne from 2004 to 2007 and Shepherd from 1985 to 1989.
(CMC/WG)
