Darren Sammy slams WICB for axing Phil Simmons
The never ending complications in the West Indies Cricket Board seem to continue, moments after Phil Simmons was sacked as the coach of the national team, former captain Darren Sammy slammed the board for taking such a decision.
Sammy, who led the West Indies to its second World T20 triumph earlier this year was also sacked a few days ago during a 30-second phone call made to him by the board. Such a decision before an away tour in the United Arab Emirates against Pakistan would definitely affect the mindset of the players boarding the long flight to middle-east.
The main reason for Simmons’ exclusion is assumed to be the poor performance of the West Indies in Tests, recently losing 0-2 to India at home.
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Sammy shared his feelings via his Facebook and Twitter account and termed the decision of removing Phil Simmons as a ‘difference in cultural and strategic approach.’ He added by saying, "So after the publicity stunt in Fort Lauderdale the first so call plan to move West Indies Cricket forward is to Fire the Coach just 2days before a tour.
“Just prove to me what I already knew. If the blind leads the blind they are bound to fall in a pit."
WICB earlier suspended Phil Simmons when he dropped players like Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo ahead of the Sri Lanka tour. In the meantime, former Cricketers Jimmy Adams and Richard Pybus were shortlisted for succeeding Simmons as the coach of the national team.
However, recent reports of Cricbuzz suggest that team manager Joel Garner along with coaches Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick will travel with the team to the United Arab Emirates.
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Simmons was in charge of the Irish Cricket and enjoyed many memorable wins with the Europeans. Back in June, World Cup winning captain Clive Llyod was also axed along with Courtney Brown, a move that was criticised thoroughly.
The UAE tour is going to be a crucial outing for the team from the Caribbean island as the series consists of 3 T20s, 3 ODIs, and 3 Tests, so it will test the visitors in all the formats. Though, it will not be easy to get the better of a team like Pakistan with a relatively inexperienced squad.