PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago head coach, Mervyn Dillon, says it was “disappointing” he was not formally notified that his job was being advertised by the T&T Cricket Board, but believes he still has an excellent chance of retaining the post.

The former West Indies fast bowler’s contract expires at the end of April but earlier last week, the TTCB posted an advertisement for the position.

“I am quite confident. I think I am probably in a better position than anybody else to retain the job,” he told the NewsDay here.

“Funny enough I heard about it (advertisement) after one of the [media] guys called me [last Thursday] morning. That’s when I found out about it, which was kind of disappointing because even if it is being advertised I would think I would be one of the first people to be notified.”

He added: “I spoke to the president (Azim Bassarath) and Mr (Dudnath) Ramkissoon (cricket operations officer). The president insisted that I was told that the job was going to be advertised, but I don’t think I am losing my memory.

“That was not the case as far as I am concerned. I did not have that conversation.”

In response, Ramkissoon conceded while Dillon had not been informed when the position was being advertised, he should have known based on the terms of his contract renewal last November.

“The executive met recently and decided to send out the ad. He is correct, we did not tell him it was going out,” explained Ramkissoon.

“But in November he knew because the letter he got advising him that his contract was extended until the end of April clearly stated at the end of one of the paragraphs ‘while your tenure will end in April you are free to apply for the job of head coach of the Red Force’.”

The move to advertise the post comes on the heels of T&T Red Force’s best ever finish in the six-year professional era of the first championship, when they ended second behind champions Barbados Pride.

With a single win after the first five rounds of the competition, Red Force rebounded to win two of the last three matches, before the tournament was abandoned following the eighth round due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Red Force finished on 94.6 points from three wins, two defeats and three draws but were adrift of perennial bitter rivals Pride by a whopping 40 points, and only marginally ahead of joint third place finishers Guyana Jaguars and Jamaica Scorpions on 91.8.Dillon, who took over mid-season in the 2018-19 campaign, led Red Force to a fourth place finish then before guiding them to a semi-final spot in the Super50 Cup later that year.

But tensions between Dillon and former West Indies and Red Force captain, Denesh Ramdin, boiled over during the just concluded season, leading to a public spat between the two.

Ramdin, dropped after just two matches, accused Dillon of not wanting him around and disrespecting senior players, while revealing they hardly communicated with each other.

Dillon, who played 38 Tests for West Indies between 1998 and 2004, responded by accusing Ramdin of telling “blatant lies”.

Ramkissoon, who said the TTCB hoped to close the hiring process by next month, also made it clear Dillon would have to apply in order to be considered.

“Once he applies [he is in contention]. I don’t know how many other people will apply, but you want the process to be transparent and fair.”