- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
BENJAMIN...coaching role up in air.
Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
"GUS (LOGIE) needs help", that's the advice from former West Indies fast bowler Kenneth Benjamin.
"You need at least two coaches around to help him (Logie)," said Benjamin who is working with young Jamaican fast bowlers at Sabina Park in an exclusive interview with The Gleaner last week.
The former Leeward Islands and Worcestershire pacer, nicknamed 'Kenny', pointed to the importance of more than one coach to help with the development of West Indies cricket.
"I know for a fact that you can't have a team that is developing and only have one coach working with them (players). You need no less than three coaches, especially the West Indies team because there are so many youngsters," the veteran of 108 first-class matches said.
Benjamin, a certified West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) level II coach, was contracted to travel to Zimbabwe and South Africa with the West Indies team. However, on his return to the Caribbean, nothing was said to the assistant coach.
"I knew from the onset it was just going to be for the African tour. There were plans to hire a permanent assistant coach and I had applied for that position," said, Benjamin who ended his six-year Test career with 92 Test wickets.
The 37-year-old Benjamin went on to explain that:, "I haven't heard anything from them (West Indies Cricket Board) since I got back from South Africa. I don't know what is happening, so I can't say much."
Just before the start of England's tour to the Caribbean, the world's leading Test wicket taker and former West Indies captain, Courtney Walsh, was brought in to assist the fast bowlers although Logie had requested Benjamin.
"Gus had called me and said we will be going to Jamaica (pre-tour camp) and I said to him I haven't heard anything from anyone."
He went on to say that Logie told him he had made it clear to the WICB that he wanted him (Benjamin) to travel to Jamaica, "but obviously that was about it."
APPOINTED ASSISTANT COACH
In an interview with The Gleaner, just before he was appointed assistant coach of the regional team for the African series, Benjamin said it would take more than just a series or two to develop the young fast bowlers.
Although he spent over two months with the fast bowlers, Benjamin, who played his last Test against England in 1998, said "I don't know how much or what I achieved in Africa. The thing is this, when you coach youngsters it is how keen they are to learn."
However, despite the negatives, Benjamin, who works in the Ministry of Sports in his native Antigua, said his work helping young fast bowlers would continue. "I'm here in Jamaica with some youngsters, I'm happy, I'm not worried about what the board is doing," he said.
"I am here helping some young fast bowlers and that is what I want to do. It doesn't matter if I am with the West Indies team or if I am down in Timbuktu, helping young fast bowlers to do the right thing, that is what I am interested in."
Benjamin has worked with quite a few young West Indies fast bowlers like Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Tino Best.
While Benjamin, who achieved career best figures of 6-66 against England at Sabina Park in 1994, said he couldn't say "whether or not these guys took some of the advice into practice" but said his relationship with them is still very good.
