Yorkshire appoint Ottis Gibson as head coach on three-year deal

The 52-year-old takes charge following the departure of Andrew Gale and the rest of the coaching staff late last year, which came after an investigation into claims made by Azeem Rafiq.

"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 [Darren Gough] about the direction the club is heading in and I'm excited to be a part of that future."

A 100-page independent report in early November upheld allegations by Rafiq that he had been the victim of "racial harassment and bullying" during his time at Yorkshire.

Former chairman Roger Hutton resigned with immediate effect over the club's handling of the investigation, with Kamlesh Patel stepping into the role.

Chief executive Mark Arthur then followed Hutton in resigning, while Yorkshire later announced that they were parting ways with their entire coaching and medical team, including first-team coach Andrew Gale and director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

Former England bowler Gough was appointed as interim managing director and tasked with appointing new coaching staff as a priority.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club today announces the appointment of Ottis Gibson as Head Coach on a three-year contract. #OneRose

— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) January 19, 2022

Gibson, who will take charge from the end of February, was in charge of the West Indies side that won the T20 World Cup in 2012, having also served as South Africa head coach and bowling coach for England and Bangladesh.

An experienced county cricket player who also appeared in two Tests and 15 ODIs for the West Indies, Gibson also worked with England during two Ashes series wins.

He will join up with Yorkshire once his deal with the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League expires next month.

Patel said he hoped the appointment of Gibson would "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".

"His playing and coaching credentials speak for themselves and he has had a distinguished career performing at the highest level," he said.

"Ottis' character and his commitment to buying into the process that we are going through at Yorkshire County Cricket Club shone through in our discussions."

Gough said: "Ottis is one of the best coaches in the world and will be a fantastic addition. His knowledge, commitment, experience and cricket know-how will be vital for us as we move into pre-season and get ourselves up and running.