Jason Holder will continue as captain of the West Indies Test team for the upcoming tour of the United Arab Emirates but has been given a serious dressing down from chairman of selectors Courtney Browne. Going into the WICB’s weekend meeting in Dominica, there was speculation that former coach of the team, Phil Simmons, and skipper of the Test team Jason Holder would have been removed. Simmons was fired and now information coming to hand is that Holder will retain his position as captain of the team. The West Indies will play three Test matches against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates beginning on October 13. The first match will be historic for the West Indies, as it will be their first ever day/night Test. Guardian Media understands that a note was passed to the board of directors on the weekend about Holder and it stated that the chairman had a frank talk with him concerning his form in the longer format of the game and whether he warrants selection outside of being captain.
From September 2015, the term of Phil Simmons as coach of West Indies became a test; a test for the West Indies Cricket Board. That month, in a television interview, Simmons took the unusual step of complaining about his employers in public. Simmons survived a firing over his claims of "outside interference" in the selection process for the one-day international team to tour Sri Lanka. But that issue of high controversy became the defining moment of a relationship that changed for the worse; a relationship that again asked questions about the WICB's ability to manage its affairs. More than many of the WICB's previous appointments, Simmons came in on a wave of optimism powered by much good feeling. Not the greatest of West Indies players himself, he was always respected for his courage and commitment to the cause. His success with Ireland also gave evidence of genuine coaching ability, so his fit for the West Indies cricket team, which he had always served with pride, seemed perfect. WICB CEO Michael Muirhead certainly seemed to think so back in March 2015 when he hired Simmons out of a field of seven, saying: "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."
Former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan is set to announce his retirement from international cricket in Guyana on Thursday. Sarwan's last international match was an ODI against India at The Oval during the 2013 Champions Trophy. He has made 286 international appearances for West Indies in his career.
Sarwan, 36, who made his first-class debut for Guyana, against Barbados in the Red Stripe Cup of 1995-96 at the age of 15, played the first of his 87 Tests four years later, in May 2000 against Pakistan in Barbados, and scored 84 and 11*. He struck his maiden Test century in his 28th match, against Bangladesh in Dhaka, and gradually cemented his place at No. 3 in West Indies' Test line-up.
One of his best performances came in May 2003, in a home Test against Australia in Antigua, where he scored a crucial 105 at No. 5 to help West Indies chase down 418, the highest successful fourth-innings chase in Test cricket. He followed that up by scoring 392 runs in a four-Test series in South Africa, although West Indies lost the series 3-0.
Fourteen of his 15 Test centuries came at No. 3, including a career-best 291 against England in Barbados in 2009, which equalled Viv Richards' personal best. His record of 4197 runs from 60 matches is the third highest among West Indies batsmen at No. 3, and he also equalled Richie Richardson for the most centuries by a West Indies batsman at this position - 14. Overall, Sarwan will finish with a Test average of 40.01, having scored 5842 runs in 87 Tests. His last match in the format came in Barbados against India in 2011.
NEW YORK—Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has reacted angrily to the sacking of West Indies head coach Phil Simmons, blasting the move as “bizarre” and motivated by “spite and vendetta”.
In a strongly worded press statement released yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Mitchell expressed his “disgust” with the decision and says it is not in the best interest of West Indies cricket.
West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced the sacking Tuesday as the team was preparing to leave for the United Arab Emirates for a series against Pakistan in all three formats of the game.
“The decision to fire Coach Simmons is consistent with the actions of this current WICB, whose actions are usually motivated by spite and vendetta, rather than by what is in the best interest of West Indies Cricket,” said Prime Minister Mitchell, who is New York on state business.
“I wish to go on record to register my disgust, (although I am not surprised), at this latest move by the Board, which will only be disadvantageous to the game and the players who have come to know and love working with Coach Simmons”.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Effectively immediately, the WICB today announced it has separated from the Head Coach Phil Simmons. In a meeting of the Board of Directors, on Saturday, September 10, this decision was taken.
In recent times, based on the public pronouncements of the coach and the approach internally, we have identified differences in culture and strategic approach. The WICB would therefore like to thank the coach for his contribution and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.
The Senior Team is preparing for its upcoming assignments against Pakistan in the UAE. The Team will be headed by Manager Joel Garner, coaches Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick.
