Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy has criticised the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for sacking head coach Phil Simmons just days before the squad depart for their series against Pakistan in the UAE.
Simmons, 53, was sacked on Tuesday following a meeting of the WICB’s board of directors on Sautrday.
“Effectively immediately, the WICB today announced it has separated from the Head Coach Phil Simmons,” the WICB said in a statement.
It said the decision had been taken because of “differences in culture and strategic approach” between the board and Simmons.
“The WICB would therefore like to thank the coach for his contribution and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.”
The decision has not gone down well with Sammy, who led the West Indies to their two World T20 triumphs in 2012 and 2016 before being stripped of the captaincy last month.
"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 2 days before a tour," Sammy wrote on his Facebook page.
“Just prove to me what I already knew. If the blind leads the blind they are bound to fall in a pit.”
Simmons’s departure leaves Joel Garner as manager of the upcoming series against Pakistan, with Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick coaches. The West Indies and Pakistan will play a three-match Twenty20 series followed by a three match ODI series.
Simmons was appointed on a three-year contract in March 2015. His reign encompassed the West Indies’s remarkable T20 World Cup triumph.
However despite that high point, strains between Simmons and the WICB often bubbled beneath the surface, most notably in 2015, when he complained about the selection of the squad for an ODI series against Sri Lanka.
He was suspended after complaining of “interference” in the selection process, before eventually being reinstated after a reprimand.
Simmons’s success in the T20 arena however was not mirrored in Test cricket.
During his reign the West Indies won only one of 14 Tests, with the most recent defeats coming in a 2-0 series loss against India.
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