FORMER West Indies coach Phil Simmons has been named the head coach of the Dubai Capitals for the inaugural edition of the International League Twenty20 (ILT20) League.
The 59-year-old will step into the new role after he resigned as the head coach of the West Indies following the first-round exit in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The regional side, under Simmons, suffered losses against Scotland and Ireland in the World Cup. As a result, the two-time champions did not qualify for the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
The announcement was made on Friday by the Dubai Capitals via social media platform, Twitter saying: “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.

Simmons expressed his readiness for the new challenge with Dubai Capitals, tweeting on the Dubai Capitals page: “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 opportiunity and all credit to them in forming a balanced squad and I look forward to this exciting journey ahead.”

The T&T cricket coach began his coaching career in 2005. However, his first international stint was short-lived, as he was sacked from the role in 2005 due to his reported inefficiency.
His time with Ireland after the 2007 World Cup turned out to be good as under his supervision the team beat 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.

In his new role with the Dubai Capitals, he will be working closely with T20 stars like West Indies’ Rovman Powell, Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Sikandar Raza, a Pakistani-born Zimbabwean international cricketer.

(Extracted from TT Guardian)