Yorkshire name Ottis Gibson as new head coach

Gibson, 52, recently joined Multan Sultans' coaching staff ahead of the 2022 Pakistan Super League, having also spent two years as Bangladesh's fast bowling coach

Yorkshire have appointed Ottis Gibson as their new head coach.

He replaces Andrew Gale, who was sacked as part of a mass clear-out of the county's backroom staff in the wake of the racism scandal that has rocked the sport.

Gibson, the former West Indies and South Africa head coach, will begin in his role at the end of February when the Pakistan Super League reaches its conclusion.

It was reported earlier this month that the former West Indies allrounder, who also worked as England's bowling coach, was the frontrunner for the job, with Toby Radford, Grant Bradburn and Robert Croft also interviewed for the role. Former Pakistan greats Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq were among others to express an interest.

Anthony McGrath, the former Yorkshire allrounder who has enjoyed great success as head coach of Essex, was an early preference of the interim director of cricket, Darren Gough, but did not apply for the job.

Gibson, 52, recently joined Multan Sultans' coaching staff ahead of the 2022 PSL, having also spent two years as Bangladesh's fast bowling coach.

"I'm extremely honoured and excited to be given the opportunity to join Yorkshire County Cricket Club as head coach," said Gibson. "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."

^{Gibson has spent the last two years as Bangladesh's fast bowling coach (Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images)}

He will report to Gough, who was the first cricketing appointment made by Lord Patel after he took over as chairman.

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.

"We were absolutely blown away by the level of interest and quality of candidates for this role, but I have no doubt that he’s the best person for the job and will pick up the challenge with relish."

A statement from Yorkshire added that Gibson "will have overall responsibility for the performance and management of the first team", while he will be supported by two assistant coaches who are yet to be hired. A wider process for the appointments of several coaching and medical roles is also ongoing.

Among those expressing interest in the role of bowling coach have been Allan Donald and Waqar. Kabir Ali is also understood to have an interview for the job.

^{Gibson was highly regarded as England's bowling coach (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)}

Despite having spent much of his coaching career in the international game, Gibson's knowledge of the county circuit goes back to his playing days, when he represented Durham, Glamorgan and Leicestershire. In 2007, he took 10 wickets in an innings for Durham against Hampshire.

Lord Patel added: "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' 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."