“I am delighted to take up the role as head coach of the SKN Patriots”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Former West Indies coach Phil Simmons has been named as the head coach of the St Kitts and Patriots in next year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

During Simmons’ tenure as coach of the West Indies, the men from the Caribbean made history by becoming the first team to win the World Twenty20 twice earlier this year in India.

However, in September, Simmons was sacked by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) due to “differences in culture and strategic approach”.

Having been given an opportunity to coach in the CPL, Simmons said: “I am delighted to take up the role as head coach of the SKN Patriots. I would like to thank the owners and management for offering me this exciting opportunity to lead the squad.

“I am aware of the immediate challenges we are facing and I will do all possible to ensure that we achieve improved results.”

Uday Nayak, the Patriots’ Co-Owner and Principal, added: “We are happy to announce that Phil Simmons is the new head coach of the SKN Patriots. We expect that Phil’s experience and local knowledge will help the Patriots achieve improved performances in our 2017 Hero CPL campaign, and will bring the ultimate success that our fans and sponsors deserve.”

Simmons is the second person the Patriots have roped in after they struck a deal with flamboyant West Indies opener Chris Gayle a few days ago.