Yorkshire have appointed Ottis Gibson as their new head coach on a three-year deal as the county begins rebuilding in the wake of the racism abuse scandal.
The 52-year-old, who has been head coach for West Indies and South Africa as well as working as a bowling coach for England, is the latest new addition to a revamped backroom staff at Headingley.
Gibson will start work at the end of February after his involvement with the Pakistan Super League side the Multan Sultans comes to an end. Last month Yorkshire announced the departures of 16 members of staff, including the entire coaching team. That included the director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, and first-team coach Andrew Gale.
The county is trying to change its personnel and culture after the damaging allegations of racial harassment and bullying raised against the club by their former player Azeem Rafiq, which led to the loss of sponsors and the right to stage international matches at Headingley.
Darren Gough has since been appointed as interim managing director of cricket, and Gibson will report in to him, the club said. Yorkshire plan to appoint two assistants shortly to work alongside Gibson.
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Lord Kamlesh Patel, who was appointed club chair in November, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Ottis to the club. His playing and coaching credentials speak for themselves and he has had a distinguished career performing at the highest level.
“Ottis’s character and his commitment to buying into the process that we are going through at Yorkshire County Cricket Club shone through in our discussions. 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.
“I look forward to working with Ottis over the coming weeks and months as we continue our rebuild of the club.”
Gibson’s playing career as an all-rounder included stints with Durham, Glamorgan and Leicestershire. He also played two Tests and 15 one-day internationals for the West Indies. “I’m extremely honoured and excited to be given the opportunity to join Yorkshire County Cricket Club as head coach,” he said.
“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. I’ve spoken at length with Goughy about the direction the club is heading in and I’m excited to be a part of that future.”
