The directors of the West Indies Cricket Board Inc. have received no recommendation from its selection panel for the position of West Indies captain for the upcoming tours of the Caribbean by Australia and Sri Lanka.
This was disclosed by Guyana Cricket Board president and WICB Inc. director Chetram Singh.
The board selection panel comprising chairman Sir Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Joey Carew met last Friday to appoint a captain for the Australian tour of four test matches and seven one-day internationals.
While sources maintain that the selectors did meet and that the board has rejected the selectors recommendation, Singh said he has not been notified either by phone or fax of any such recommendation.
The non-appointment of a captain and vice captain so close to the test series which starts on April 10 at Bourda has fuelled much speculation.
However, it is a known fact that Richards wants Hooper to continue along with his heir-apparent, who should be named vice-captain.
Singh said those decisions, along with the appointments of a coach and a manager, will be made on Sunday's whole day meeting in Antigua which starts at 9am and concludes around 5pm.
"It is the sole authority of the directors of the WICB to pick the manager and the coach," Singh said.
The manager and coach issue are almost certain to cause as much controversy as the decision of West Indies skipper.
The WICB has looked closely at the possibility of bringing a foreign coach, perhaps in an attempt to arrest the beast of insularity which continues to haunt West Indies cricket at every step.
Recently Antigua Minister for Sport Guy Yearwood suggested that it was "wicked" of the WICB to interview former South African coach Bob Woolmer for the post which should be given to Eldine Baptiste, an Antiguan who is the coach of the KwaZulu-Natal senior team in South Africa.
Woolmer was interviewed by a WICB selection committee - comprising chief selector Viv Richards, CEO Roger Brathwaith and Barbados director Stephen Alleyne - during the just-concluded World Cup tournament but later said he was only interested in an advisory role instead of being a fulltime coach.
According to sources, Trinidadian Gus Logie, just back from a stint with the Canadian national team at the World Cup, is a front-runner for the post.
Meanwhile Hooper arrived in Guyana Wednesday night and travelled up to Berbice early yesterday morning to be with the other members of the Guyana team which face Jamaica from today in the semi-finals of the Carib Beer International Chellenge Trophy at the Albion Community Development Centre ground.
The game is expected to be more than a challenge for Hooper with the Jamaican contingent spearheaded by Jermaine Lawson out to avenge their last year's defeat in the Busta International Shield final.
The first two days of the game will be watched by Richards who will then leave to persuade Wes Hall and company that there is no other alternative to Hooper.
Hooper, on the other hand must show the selectors that his knees are sufficiently healed and that he is physically and mentally ready for the formidable challenge of Steve Waugh's awesome Australians and later the Sri Lankans.