West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has praised departing head coach Phil Simmons for the work he has done with the team and says whoever is chosen to fill his shoes must be a leader who understands Caribbean culture.

Speaking after the West Indies’ humiliating 419-run loss to Australia in the second Test of their two-match series which was Simmons’ final assignment with the Caribbean side, Brathwaite said the Trinidadian coach had shepherded the side well.

“I think he was stern when he had to be, 'cause it’s always important to push guys. Also, we don’t all live in the same country, so when we come together it’s important as a group that we really put in that work and he really drove that,” the red ball captain told the media.

Read more at Barbados Today

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What specifically is WI culture?

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

What a crock!..... However it reinforces my belief that for these guys, winning is not a priority.

In reply to WI_cricfan

That's my thinking too.

Kraigg needs to give a bit more information.

In reply to WI_cricfan

answer to your question, Losing

In reply to WI_cricfan

Caribbean culture, not W.I culture. Perhaps we should rebrand the name and call us Team Caribbean!

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

A stooge expressing gratitude to his master.... Kraigg is captain only because of ICM....

In reply to WI_cricfan

d coach have to like dhal and rice, curry goat,duck curry,chicken curry and jerk chicken

Looks like they want to continue to survive in a friendly environment .... a foreigner may just upset the applecart.

In reply to shivnotout

Shouldn’t that be chicken jerk for you?

last time I checked, West Indies cricket had a losing culture, so maybe the new coach is not allowed to tamper with that.

what is our culture?

These guys want to remain in their comfort zones (ie so called WI culture). How the hell can changes be made then??

What work? Guide WI cricket to a new low? How to eat Ice Cream?

In reply to camos

what is our culture?

Social welfare.

WI culture understands that cricket might be the only thing a guy playing for WI has, whether he is deemed international standard or not. Can't just throw him out if he is not up to it. A chap coming from foreign is schooled to recognize the standard of where he is coming from. He won't keep a guy on the payroll because he is a family man and got food and sundry bills.

Looked at from that viewpoint WIndies cricket is really in a Catch 22 situ.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Naah – new coach must understand what it takes to be competitive and win in all forms of international cricket, Your geographical origin notwithstanding… we just need players with a little talent who can go out and commit to do whatever it takes, cricket-wise to not being bested… if we can have that – our cricket will prosper again.

In reply to cumberland

Oh-contraire my good man!!! The only consideration should be – is his cricket up to standard – then does he have the proper character (subjective) – his financial position should not weigh in the situation at all. This is not a charity event.

In reply to birdseye

Not disagreeing with the non-charitable bit at all. I was citing what the culture apparently is.

Frankly, I UNDERSTAND why WI would adopt a social welfare stance. Not saying I AGREE. Too many cricketers have had and are having a difficult life post-WI employment with little to fall back on or the wherewithal to be engaged in other aspects of WI society to provide a suitable livelihood. Hence the expanded player retention pool in regional cricket the Cameron regime introduced albeit at the expense of the top earners. AND we see how that has panned out to date. Skeritt has kept the same structure in place.

You bring on board a guy whose remit is to produce top-tier cricketers minus those considerations, and you are guaranteed a mass exodus out of cricket (particularly red ball) in short-order. Most WI cricketers have traditionally come from impoverished backgrounds and are likely to for the foreseeable future. Mix that with the poor infrastructure that's been churning them out en masse for 2-3 decades and you have welfare recipients rather than first-class cricketers.

Now go find a foreign coach and make him understand the soft socio-economic underbelly of WIndies cricket and WI might be unto something IF he accepts.

In reply to cumberland I still say cricketing ability and achievement has to be the criteria for selecting players to form an elite group to play international cricket. If you want to provide financial counselling once they make the team – that should be part of the package. Every historical epoch has its travails ----