Spin camp to benefit Bishoo - Gibson

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies head coach, believes that West Indies legspinner Devendra Bishoo will benefit most from the spin-bowling camp conducted by Saqlain Mushtaq. Bishoo was named as ICC Emerging Player of the Year in 2011, but has since lost his place in the team through a combination of loss of form and competition brought on by Sunil Narine and Shane Shillingford.

"I have been saddened by the way things have gone for Bishoo," Gibson said. "Having come into the West Indies team and become ICC Emerging Player of the Year to where he is right now, I strongly felt I needed to get someone over here to give him the support and the belief and I know he has been doing very well.

"Hopefully, this will be the spark that will get Bishoo back into the frame of mind which he had when he got into the West Indies team and did very well."

Gibson had noticed the dearth of resources for spinners when he first took on his current role as West Indies head coach. "One of the things that has disappointed me since I have been appointed West Indies head coach - and this is through no fault of anyone - is that the fast bowlers have had a lot of support and we had a fast bowling clinic - but we haven't had any specialist training for spinners.

"I may be a bowling coach, but Saqlain is an expert in spin bowling, and when I spoke to him about the opportunity to come across and pass on his knowledge - the way I have passed on to the fast bowlers what I learnt from someone like Malcolm Marshall - it was clear it was the right thing to do.

"For Saqlain to come and pass on the knowledge that he would have acquired from someone like, maybe, Abdul Qadir and other great spinners was an opportunity that I felt if I could make it happen, it would be something special for our players.

"I have been attending the clinic over the last few days and I have been in the sports hall and I have seen how the players are responding to him and I know that it has been something well worth doing."

The camp comes as a particularly good time for the West Indies as their A side are currently touring India, with the senior team to follow in late October for two Tests and three ODIs. West Indies will then fly to New Zealand to compete in three Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is.