WICB sacks head coach Phil Simmons

The West Indies Cricket Boards (WICB) has fired head coach Phil Simmons just two days before the tour of UAE where West Indies will play against Pakistan. The WICB announced on Tuesday that the decision to remove Simmons was taken after a meeting of the body’s board of directors on Saturday.

The reason behind his expulsion happens to be “differences in culture and strategic approach.” Simmons departure leaves Joel Garner as manager of the upcoming series against Pakistan. He will work alongside the pair of assistant coaches Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick.

The 53-year-old former Test opener was informed of the decision as the West Indies prepared to travel to the United Arab Emirates, where they are to face Pakistan in a T20 series.

“Effectively immediately, the WICB today announced it has separated from the Head Coach Phil Simmons,” the WICB said in a statement.

“In recent times, based on the public pronouncements of the coach and the approach internally, we have identified differences in culture and strategic approach. The WICB would, therefore, like to thank the coach for his contribution and wishes him the best in his future endeavours,” the statement added.

Simmons was appointed on a three-year contract in March 2015. The most memorable achievement of West Indies under his shadow was the remarkable T20 World Cup triumph this year.

Phil Simmons and the WICB were on common grounds and both had their moments of discontentment, most notably in 2015, when he complained about the selection of the squad for a one-day series against Sri Lanka. He was suspended after complaining of “interference” in the selection process, before eventually being reinstated after a reprimand.

It seems that WICB is slowly clearly out the men who don’t seem to mend their ways according to their laws. Earlier, T20 skipper Darren Sammy was given the boot while Curtly Ambrose was also eased out of his coaching job.