T20 WC: Ex-West Indies star Phil Simmons joins Papua New Guinea as specialist coach

BOROKO: Former West Indies all-rounder and experienced international coach Phil Simmons has joined the Papua New Guinea coaching setup as a specialist coach ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, starting from June 1 in the Caribbean and USA.

Simmons joins the Oceania side in the role of specialist coach, providing head coach and former Zimbabwe international Tatenda Taibu with some added experience in Caribbean conditions for the showpiece event.

Simmons, who has featured in more than 160 matches for the West Indies, is well known for his exploits following his playing career as an international coach and for leading the West Indies to their second T20 World Cup title in India in 2016.

He was in charge of Zimbabwe's men's team for much of 2004 and 2005 and has more recently had stints in charge of Ireland and Afghanistan. Moreover, Simmons was the head coach of the West Indies during their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign at the most recent edition of the tournament in Australia in 2022.

“My role here is as a consultant coach and how I put across my experience, not just playing in world cups but playing in the Caribbean and the things that we should be looking at to make sure we do it right in the Caribbean and especially the venues that we play at.

“As a player internationally, for fourteen years and then as an international coach for eighteen years it’s been a long time in the game. It’s always brilliant to come home, always brilliant to come back to any part of the West Indies you know how beautiful it is here. I’m looking forward to getting home, home which is Trinidad. Having people come here, me getting back here, its always a great thing, it’s always something to look forward to," said Simmons.

Papua New Guinea's first match at the T20 World Cup comes against the co-hosts West Indies in Guyana on June 2.