Cricket West Indies (CWI) appointed Robert Samuels as caretaker coach of the West Indies women's team for the upcoming white ball series against Ireland in St Lucia.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the appointment of Robert Samuels as interim head coach of the West Indies Women's Team for the upcoming CG United One Day International (ODI) Series and West Indies T20 International (T20I) Series against Ireland in St Lucia.

Samuels, a former Jamaica captain and West Indies batsman, played six Test games and eight ODIs, as well as 106 first-class games and 77 List A games. Most recently he was an assistant coach with the West Indies women's team.

Samuels' appointment marks a significant development in the West Indies' women's coaching setup. With a wealth of experience as a player and previous experience as an assistant coach, Samuels brings a unique perspective to the team.

The upcoming series against Ireland will be an opportunity for Samuels to make his mark and lead the West Indies women's team to success.

"Robert brings continuity and stability to carry the team through this time," said CWI High Performance Manager Graeme West of Samuels' appointment. "He has a great knowledge of the players and of women's football in general - and extensive knowledge of the coaching staff - so the transition with Robert as interim head coach is almost a seamless transition."

"He has his own ideas and is trying to implement them now as an interim head coach and not as an assistant coach. He's made a good impression over the last few days and got off to a good start and I'm sure that will continue to be the case throughout the series."

Samuels will have interim assistant coaches in former West Indies off-spinner Ryan Austin and former Leeward Islands captain Steve Liburd, who is head coach of the West Indies Women's Under-19 Rising Stars.

The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is from July 5th to 9th. All six white ball matches will be played at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, where an 18-strong West Indies team is currently training ahead of the series.