Phil Simmons set to be named new West Indies coach!!

[WindieWeathers]

Simmons to sign as Windies coach


March 18, 2015


By Vinode Mamchan


Former T&T and West Indies all rounder Phil Simmons is the new coach of the West Indies cricket team.

Simmons was given the nod over T&T-born former Indian national Robin Singh for the top post and will be signing a contract with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) today. He will take up the position for three years in the first instance. Simmons has been knocking on the door for a while and has been making the best advertisement with his work in Ireland with their national team.

At the current World Cup, he led Ireland to an upset victory over the West Indies in their opening game. Ireland failed to get into the quarter-finals, however, after going down to Pakistan in their final match of the preliminary round.

With the World Cup out the way, Simmons was then given time to deal with his contract and will sign today.

He will get moving immediately as he has England on his doorsteps in a few weeks time.

The Arima man is expected to be a good fit on the management team, as he has the respect of the players. His nephew Lendl will also be under his wings, although Lendl announced his retirement from Test cricket recently.

Simmons played 26 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 1002 runs at an average of 22.26. He also appeared in 143 ODIs, scoring 3675 runs at 28.93 with a best of 122. He also captured 83 wickets in ODI cricket at 34.65, with a best of four wickets for three runs off 10 overs against Pakistan—which remains the most economical bowling in ODI cricket.

The West Indies has been without a head coach since Ottis Gibson was removed at the end of the series against New Zealand in the Caribbean last year. The West Indies lost that series 2-1, and Gibson was fired after the West Indies also lost the test series.

Since then, the team has been handled by assistant coaches Stuart Williams, Andre Coley and fast bowling consultant Curtly Ambrose. Manager of the team Richie Richardson has also lent his considerable experience in the batting department.

The West Indies will play hosts New Zealand in the quarter-finals on Friday night (TT time)

Link

Well from our side of the pond it's no surprise as the rumours were going around even before the world cup had started and they were in fever pitch after we lost to his team. He's done an excellent job with Ireland but of course WI is a completely different kettle of fish. This is effectively like going from Bradford to Liverpool, it's a big jump and he'll have to do things a little differently but he's had a habit of getting his team to play to it's maximum which has lead them to achieved more than a few shock results and we can only hope he does the same thing with us.

The word is he works his team hard and is big on tactics so that should be interesting to see...he's got a tough start against England and then we'll have Aus to come too. If we can win or draw one of these series then he'll have made a decent start.

He's coming in at a time when domestically we've got some very promising batting talent emerging and a few bowlers too...with the season being longer now it's up to Phil to make sure he brings them through at the right pace and they stay focused and not get sidetracked like the likes of Powell and Barath.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Guess it depends what team he is given. If he gets a half hearted bunch who are still falling out with the board all the time then it doesn't matter who the coach is as they will fail.

 

[fredfertang]

Decent appointment that - I just hope he gets the right support from the board

Vis a vis Lendl it does make me laugh that a 30 year old specialist batsman with 8 Test caps and an average of 17 is "retiring" from Test cricket - who is he trying to kid?

 

[WindieWeathers]

Decent appointment that - I just hope he gets the right support from the board

Vis a vis Lendl it does make me laugh that a 30 year old specialist batsman with 8 Test caps and an average of 17 is "retiring" from Test cricket - who is he trying to kid?

Yeah well Ambrose is already there as bowling coach. I hope he gets someone in for the fielding and a spin coach too. The batting i guess will be down to him!!..but yes no doubt who he has around him will be key to how he does with us.

 

[G.I.Joe]

An exercise in rubbing hard on a bowel evacuation to impart it glitter and shine.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Oops sorry pls ignore meant to post that in the **Official CW medical miracles discussion thread**

 

[Hurricane]

If Darren bravo is still not playing due to dissatisfaction with the team environment ( ww to comment) then the best thing he can do is work on the team culture as his first priority

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Yeah well Ambrose is already there as bowling coach. I hope he gets someone in for the fielding and a spin coach too. The batting i guess will be down to him!!..but yes no doubt who he has around him will be key to how he does with us.

Ambrose as bowling 'consultant' is interesting. Bumped into him at the game in Nelson - great to meet one of my top 3 all time players of all time (as an aside). When I say interesting, I was always under the impression that he didn't particularly enjoy cricket and that he had (and still has) other pastimes outside of the game that interest him more. As such, how enthusiastic is he as coach?

That said, the players seemed to be hanging on every word of his when he was giving them the gee-up between innings (not that it ultimately seemed to do much good at Nelson when the body language in the field went downhill so quickly).

 

[GotSpin]

I always thought Ambrose Was more into his reggae music than cricket.

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Genuinely surprised that Ambrose took the job. Have only seen him on stage with guitar in all the post retirement photos. Love him.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Ok guys Simmo has been confirmed as the new WI head coach today.

Simmons appointed new West Indies Head Coach


ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board announced today the appointment of Phil Simmons to the role of West Indies Head Coach on a three-year contract.


The 51-year-old Simmons was one of seven people interviewed for the post and following his eight years of unparallelled success with ICC Associate team Ireland, who he led to two 50-overs and four Twenty20 World Cups, as well as the Associates treble two years ago, he was the outstanding candidate.

“We are thrilled with the appointment of Phil and we believe he is the right individual for our team and our region at this time, so we want to welcome him back home,” said WICB Chief Executive Officer Michael Muirhead.

“Phil has a proven ability to develop players, while cultivating great team spirit and a winning culture. We have a number of young, talented players about whom he is excited to be coaching and we believe he is the right fit.”

Muirhead added: “Phil has impressed us with his understanding of the current realities of West Indies cricket and his ability to articulate practical examples and strategies of things that could be implemented within the team to improve performance.

“His independence of character and his resolve to stand up for what he believes in were also strong qualities that convinced us that Phil was best suited to usher the West Indies team into a new era of success.”

Simmons, who played 26 Tests and 143 One-day Internationals for West Indies between 1987 and 1999, acknowledged it was difficult to leave Ireland, but coaching the West Indies team was too good an opportunity to let pass.

“West Indies have a tremendous history and prestige in the game, and I am honoured to have been given this opportunity to be Head Coach,” he said.

“There is an abundance of young talent coming through the ranks and to be able to assist with the development of the future playing talent in the West Indies is fantastic. I can’t wait to begin and I am looking forward to starting work with the players.”

He said: “I am excited to be beginning this new chapter in my coaching career and to have the opportunity to create a winning culture.

“West Indies have a huge following across the World and I have great admiration for the passion fans show for our team. We are determined to give the supporters the brand of cricket and the level of success that we are all looking to achieve.”

Simmons’ first task will be to oversee the West Indies team for the International Home Test Series against England next month.

Link

He's said in an interview that he wants to install a real team environment and make sure we have clear plans of how we approach games whilst establishing a philosophy of how we want to play as a team moving forward. Sounds like he's got the fire in his eyes and i wish him well.

 

[Beamer]

A very good appointment IMHO. What we need now more than ever is a hard-working, common-sense approach to cricket to complement the obvious talent that is there. I think Phil can do that.

I'd give him a young squad to work with to give him the best chance of actually installing that sort of environment. The likes of Benn must not be persisted with any longer.

I'm really looking forward to the England series now. I really hope he can make a difference, even if only a small one at first.

 

[WindieWeathers]

A very good appointment IMHO. What we need now more than ever is a hard-working, common-sense approach to cricket to complement the obvious talent that is there. I think Phil can do that.

I'd give him a young squad to work with to give him the best chance of actually installing that sort of environment. The likes of Benn must not be persisted with any longer.

I'm really looking forward to the England series now. I really hope he can make a difference, even if only a small one at first.

The last experienced "coach" we had in John Dyson managed to get some decent results tbh. We drew away in NZ and beat England at home after Taylor's blistering spell at bina. Gibson was a man who was effectively learning on the job...being a bowling coach with England and the running the whole show with us were two vastly different things. He was naive in a lot of areas but even with him we drew in SL, drew with Pak, beat NZ, got to 5th in the test rankings and won the t20 world cup.

This is what should give us room for enthusiasm because Phil has a wealth of experience in coaching...much more than the two mentioned above so you would hope that he will do much better than them. He really couldn't have come in at a better time really...young talent is emerging and he's got a clean slate to work with and a team who can only move forward having been so poor recently.

 

[kyear2]

I agree that this is a very good hire, and I too hope Ambrosia sticks around to help with the fast bowlers.

But ultimately we need better players, especially the fast bowlers and from where I sit I see more bats than quicks in the pipeline.

 

[Beamer]

I agree that this is a very good hire, and I too hope Ambrosia sticks around to help with the fast bowlers.

But ultimately we need better players, especially the fast bowlers and from where I sit I see more bats than quicks in the pipeline.

Yep fast bowling is going to be a serious problem for us over the next few years. There is no depth at all and if JT and Roach get injured, whyich lets face it they do all the time, we're screwed.

Having said that I'm extremely impressed with young Marquino Mindley. No great pace but swings the ball both ways, reverses the old ball and is extremely accurate. Beaton has all the assets and I've seen him bowl some great spells this season but for some reason he's just not taking wickets (not that Bishoo and Permaul leave many for him to actually take). I really hope he starts to take wickets soon and does justice to his talents.

I hope Ray Jordan's rehabilitation work on his action is going well. He was seriously quick and that's what we need right now, some real pace to give our attack an extra dimension.

 

[Beamer]

Really enjoyed this little interview snippet from Phil Simmons.

He has his priorities right.

1) Man management: Team Spirit and ethics (i.e getting the most out of the talent you actually have)
2) Thinking cricket and playing the West Indian way but with the correct thought processes in place (i.e. be aggressive but selectively so. He used a great analogy with Greenidge and Haynes building partnerships)

I'm really looking forward to seeing what the squad will be for the test matches against England. It will probably give a decent insight into his thinking.

 

[Salamuddin]

Yep fast bowling is going to be a serious problem for us over the next few years. There is no depth at all and if JT and Roach get injured, whyich lets face it they do all the time, we're screwed.

Having said that I'm extremely impressed with young Marquino Mindley. No great pace but swings the ball both ways, reverses the old ball and is extremely accurate. Beaton has all the assets and I've seen him bowl some great spells this season but for some reason he's just not taking wickets (not that Bishoo and Permaul leave many for him to actually take). I really hope he starts to take wickets soon and does justice to his talents.

I hope Ray Jordan's rehabilitation work on his action is going well. He was seriously quick and that's what we need right now, some real pace to give our attack an extra dimension.

How good is Miguel Cummins Beamer ? And do you think Coterrell has any potential ?

 

[Beamer]

How good is Miguel Cummins Beamer ? And do you think Coterrell has any potential ?

Miguel Cummins is very furstrating. He is either awesome or all over the place. At his best he is awkward back of a length bowling with each way movement and extra bounce at around 140 - 145kph. At his worst (like his ODI debut against Ireland) he over does the aggression and gives away stacks of runs through inconsistent bowling. He is worth having around the senior set up IMHO because he has a great deal of plus points but he won't be getting in ahead of Roach, Taylor and Holder until he becomes more consistent.

Again, Cotterell is annoying. He has all the physical attributes including a bit of pace, extra bounce and a natural aggression which can intimidate even good batsmen. HE even swings the new ball into the right hander very nicely when he's on it. But this is all too rare and he doesn't really think or plan how to get batsmen out, he just pounds away short of a length. It is worth keeping him around the A team but again I don't see him as a better option then our first choice 3.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Despite what WW writes on here I really hope you guys beat England. Cricket does need a strong West Indies and I always support one of the little 7 against one of the big 3. Besides it would be fantastic to see England lose to you guys then get beaten by us (NZ) before the Ashes. KP might get that SOS phone call after all!