ST JOHN’S, Antigua – In a formal announcement released on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, Cricket West Indies (CWI) revealed that long-serving West Indies Women’s Head Coach Shane Deitz has formally ended his three-year tenure with the governing body as of 31 October 2026, following a mutually agreed transition arrangement to allow Deitz to pursue an unstated new professional opportunity.
Stepping into the interim leadership role for the women’s senior side is Andre Coley, the former West Indies Men’s Test Head Coach, who will helm the squad for the upcoming bilateral series against Pakistan, operating alongside the existing established support staff to minimize disruption to team preparations. A deeply respected figure within the regional cricket high-performance ecosystem, Coley has remained an active contributor to CWI’s talent development framework in recent years, most notably leading the West Indies Men’s A-Team through a full competitive campaign in 2025. His decades of experience navigating the nuances of the Caribbean cricket development pipeline are positioned to preserve operational continuity as the women’s squad ramps up training for the Pakistan fixtures.
During Deitz’s three-year stewardship, the West Indies Women’s program hit a historic milestone: the team secured back-to-back semi-final berths at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup tournaments in 2024 and 2026, a landmark run that set a new performance benchmark for the side.
Miles Bascombe, CWI’s Director of Cricket, emphasized the significance of Deitz’s legacy in an official statement, noting that the two consecutive World Cup semi-final appearances have established a non-negotiable new standard that the players now hold themselves accountable to. Bascombe extended formal gratitude to Deitz for his contributions, adding that the mutually timed handover was structured deliberately to avoid disrupting the team’s competitive rhythm ahead of the Pakistan series. He also praised Coley for stepping into the interim post on short notice to ensure no gaps in pre-tournament planning.
For his part, Deitz reflected on his tenure with deep appreciation, thanking the playing group, support staff, and CWI leadership for their collaborative support over the three years, and extended his best wishes for the squad’s future competitive success. CWI officials confirmed that additional details regarding the long-term permanent head coaching appointment for the West Indies Women’s team will be shared with stakeholders and the public in the coming weeks as the formal recruitment process moves forward.
Andre Coley to lead West Indies Women as Shane Dietz concludes service
