Simmons had been the West Indies’ head coach since March 2015

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

The West Indies have sacked head coach Phil Simmons ahead of their tour of the United Arab Emirates, where they will play Pakistan.

Simmons left his job as Ireland head coach and began his tenure with the West Indies after the conclusion of the 2015 World Cup.

Legendary pace bowler Joel Garner, who was recently appointed as the West Indies’ team manager, will replace Simmons on an interim basis.

“Effective immediately, the WICB today announced it has separated from head coach Phil Simmons,” a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) statement said. “In a meeting of the Board of Directors, on 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 and coaches Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick.”

During Simmons’ time in charge, the West Indies won just one of the 14 Tests they played, but they did triumph in the 2016 World Twenty20 in April, making them the only team to win the tournament twice.