Roger Harper to coach Kenya

Former West Indies allrounder and coach, Roger Harper has been appointed to the helm of Kenyan cricket. Harper, 42, replaces Andrew Moles as the new head coach, after Moles quit the post about year ago.

To take up the role, Harper was forced to resign as manager of the West Indies Under-19 team, which will be competing in the ICC Under-19 World Cup next month. He is set to leave for Nairobi before the end of January, and will be immersed in Kenya’s preparations for the 2007 World Cup, back in the West Indies.

While Moles’ resignation left the Kenyan national side without an official coach, former Pakistan international, Mudassar Nazar has acted as caretaker. He was in fact reported as having been shortlisted for the official post.

Kenya has been short of match practice lately, and it is a major problem facing the team heading into next year’s World Cup, as the Kenyan Cricket Association (KCA) has met difficulty in arranging fixtures against other international sides. The general lack of interest in tackling Kenyan cricket is just one of the issues Harper will look to address.

Harper coached the West Indies from 2000 to the end of the 2003 World Cup, as the regional side won just 9 of 39 Tests, losing 19. As a player, Roger Harper featured in 25 Tests and 105 One Day Internationals, leaving the game with a reputation as a tidy offspinner, a useful batsman, and a brilliant fielder.