Bassarath shocked over Simmo suspension

Tue, Sep 29, '15

“There seems to be a lot of exposed electrical wire all over the place and people are getting shocked left, right and centre.” The words of Azim Bassarath president of the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) responding to Phil Simmons suspension by the WICB management committee.

Simmons was suspended and will miss the tour of Sri Lanka over comments he made at a press conference in Barbados. The former West Indies all rounder said there was outside interference that was keeping all rounders Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard out of the West Indies ODI team and that he did not have the strongest team at his disposal in Sri Lanka.

The WICB management committee of Michael Muirhead and Richard Pybus decided to suspend Simmons and replace him in the interim with selector Eldine Baptiste. Bassarath who also sits as a director on the WICB said the matter of Simmons’ suspension never came to the directors of the board which he found shocking. “It is strange that a decision is made by the management committee concerning something as serious as this and it did not come to the board.

When Simmons was interviewed for the post of coach the board had to ratify it, so I don’t agree with the management committee making this decision all by themselves.”

read more at Trinidad Guardian