Roland Butcher appointed as new selector in panel for West Indies men's teams

New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS) Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the appointment of Roland Butcher as the new selector to the West Indies Men's senior and youth selection panels. He will work alongside lead selector Desmond Haynes at the senior level and with Robert Haynes in the youth panel.

The third member of both panels is the respective Head Coach, where Andre Coley is a member at the senior men's level, having filled the position once Phil Simmons resigned. Butcher's appointment, according to CWI, was confirmed during a meeting of the Board of Directors on December 19.

"It is a great honour and a privilege, to be given the opportunity to serve West Indies Cricket. I'm eager to get started to work alongside the other members of the selection panels as we look to ensure the growth and improvement in West Indies cricket at all levels," said Butcher in his new role.

Butcher was the first Black cricketer to represent England in Test cricket when he debuted against West Indies in his native Barbados in 1981. He played three Tests and three One-Day Internationals for England.

In his first-class career, he played 277 matches and scored over 12,000 runs and also played for over 15 years in English County Cricket with Middlesex.

Since his retirement from playing cricket, Butcher has coached the Bermuda team and also served as director of sports in the University of the West Indies.