West Indies announce departure of World Cup-winning coach Phil Simmons

West Indies have announced Phil Simmons’ departure as coach five months after their World T20 title triumph. The 53-year-old has endured a difficult time since leaving his post as the head coach of Ireland to lead West Indies.

In September last year, he was suspended over his comments about team selection before being reinstated. The Windies board cited “differences in culture and strategic approach” after Simmons’ “public pronouncements and approach internally”.

Simmons had questioned the omissions of all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the one-day squad last year, for which he was suspended by the West Indies Cricket Board.

A media release from the WICB at the time said Simmons’ comments appeared to “question the legitimacy of the selection process”.

Relations between the board and the players have been strained following a pay dispute, with Sammy saying after March’s World T20 success that he had not been congratulated by his bosses. Following Simmons’ time in charge, West Indies are third in the world T20 rankings, but lie eighth in both Tests and one-day internationals respectively.

Shortly after the Windies beat England in the World T20 final, Darren Sammy revealed he had been sacked as captain. West Indies’ next assignment is in 10 days, when they face Pakistan in three T20s, three ODIs, and three Tests – including a day-night Test in Dubai.(BBC,2016)