Kenya coach Baptiste quits after poor World Cup

Kenya coach Eldine Baptiste has parted ways with the team less than a month after the African nation's worst ever performance in the World Cup.

"Following discussions between the former West Indian all-rounder (Baptiste) and CK (Cricket Kenya) officials... in the wake of Kenya's unacceptable showing at the Cricket World Cup 2011, the parties have agreed that Baptiste will leave his position with immediate effect," CK chief executive Tom Sears said in a statement.

Baptiste took charge of the team in 2009 after coaching in South Africa and the West Indies. During his tenure, results and performances have been disappointing culminating the winless World Cup campaign.

Kenya lost to Indian provincial sides Gujarat and Baroda in the run-up to the World Cup and were thrashed by opponents such as New Zealand (10 wickets), Pakistan (205 runs), Sri Lanka (nine wickets) and Zimbabwe (161 runs) during the tournament itself.

With their performance a far cry from the impact they made in 2003 when they reached the semi-finals of the showpiece event, fans and former players called for a change.

"As part of the comprehensive review we are conducting, the coach's performance and position have come under scrutiny. Both Cricket Kenya and Eldine Baptiste have decided that there is a need for change," said Sears.

"I would like to commend Eldine for his professionalism and honesty during the review process. We will now conduct an extensive recruitment process to find a new national coach and will be inviting applications from both within Kenya and overseas."