In what was a widely expected move by the Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), former West Indies captain Sir Vivian Richards was today named to the chairmanship of the West Indies senior selection panel.

This is one of the several decisions coming out of this weekend's Directors' Meeting of the WICB which concluded today. The board of directors also named former West Indies opening batsman Gordon Greenidge to the panel, while Michael "Joey" Carew -- a member of the previous selection committee and himself a former West Indies opening batsman, was retained.

President of the WICB, Rev. Wes Hall welcomed the new selection panel and thanked the outgoing selectors – Chairman Michael Findlay and Joel "Big Bird" Garner for their service to West Indies cricket. Findlay served on the senior selection panel for six years, while Garner was a selector for four years.

"Being a selector is a thankless job, but all West Indians owe a debt of gratitude to these gentlemen who commit so much of their time to monitoring the performance of our players and choosing West Indies teams," noted Rev. Hall.

On the new panel, Rev. Hall added: "The WICB is privileged to welcome outstanding former West Indies cricketers such as Sir Vivian and Gordon Greenidge as new members of the panel along with the experienced selector 'Joey' Carew."

Other appointments announced following the board of directors' meeting were ther re-appointment of outgoing chairman Clyde Butts and member Ezra Moseley to the new junior selection committee, along with new appointee, former West Indies spin bowler Derek Parry of Nevis. This panel will select West Indies Under-19 and Under-15 teams.

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