CHENNAI, India (CMC) — Ex-West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has held out little hope of a revival for his former team’s fortunes, unless key decisions are made in the Caribbean in the best interest of the game.
His comments came in light of the Windies nightmare tour of Bangladesh, where they were whitewashed 2-0 in the Test series and then went down 2-1 in the three-match one-day series.
The Test series defeat was the first for the Caribbean side on Bangladeshi soil and the first by a full strength team to the hosts.
“I can imagine how depressing it must be for the Clive Lloyds, Viv Richards’ and Sir Gary Sobers. It is depressing for all of us,” said Simmons, who now coaches Afghanistan.
“Until somebody decides to do the right things where cricket is concerned, it is going to stay like that for a while.”
The series loss left West Indies in a precarious position in the ICC Test rankings, now only a single ratings point away from joining Bangladesh in ninth spot.
Their fortunes have also continued to slump in the one-day format, leaving them ninth in the international rankings, and only five ratings points ahead of Simmons’s Afghanistan.
Simmons won the Twenty20 World Cup with West Indies two years ago but was sacked six months later for what Cricket West Indies termed “differences in culture and strategic approach.”
His replacement, Australian Stuart Law, quit last month after two years in charge, leaving the Caribbean side with fielding coach Nic Pothas as their interim head.
