Former west indies coach Phil Simmons has been named as the head coach of Dubai capitals for the inaugural edition of the international league twenty20 (ILT20) league.
The 59-year-old announced his resignation as the coach of the West Indies following their exit in the first round of the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup. Accordingly, his final assignment is the upcoming Australian tour.
Under Simmons, the regional team lost to Scotland and Ireland in the World Cup. Due to this, the two-time T20 World champions did not qualify for the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
On Friday, the Dubai Capitals announced via the Twitter social media platform that Simmons will be the head coach.
We are proud to announce Phil Simmons as our Head Coach for the upcoming #ILT20 season 🤩
The West Indian coach is all set to join the #CapitalsUniverse and his excitement levels are unmatchable 🔥🙌#DubaiCapitals #GMRGroup #GMRSports pic.twitter.com/NSbB90QMe5
— Dubai Capitals (@Dubai_Capitals) November 4, 2022
Phil Simmons expressed his readiness for the new challenge with Dubai Capitals in a tweet on the Dubai Capitals page saying that he is grateful for this opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to this new challenge with Dubai Capitals. The ILT20 has brought together six new entities in a competition that’s set to showcase the best of the best. We have a fantastic group and the prospect of binding us all together is incredibly motivating.”
“Thanks to GMR Sports for the opportunity and all credit to them in forming a balanced squad and I look forward to this exciting journey ahead.”
The T&T cricket coach started his coaching career in 2005. However, his first international stint was short-lived as he was sacked from the role in 2005 due to reported ineffectiveness.
His time with Ireland after the 2007 World Cup turned out to be good as under his supervision the team England at the 2011 World Cup and the West Indies, Zimbabwe in 2015. He, however, had a torrid time with the West Indies before he guided them to their second World T20 in India. He had also served Afghanistan in a consultancy role.
However, he had a rough time with the West Indies at present, with most of the senior players in the West Indies team retiring and present players not performing. Most of the team’s weaknesses were blamed on Simmons.
In his new role with Dubai Capitals, he will work closely with T20 stars like West Indies’ Rowman Powell, Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Pakistan-born Zimbabwe international cricketer Sikandar Raza.
The Emirates cricket board (ECB) on June 6 announced the inaugural edition of the UAE T20 league and revealed that it will be known as International T20 league (ILT20). The ECB also announced that the inaugural edition of the tournament will be Played in the first two months of 2023 and will have six teams participating in the league