Phil Simmons

West Indian Phil Simmons was a slow medium pace bowler and an explosive middle order batsman who filled the opening slot at times. He started his cricketing career representing the regional East Zone side which at that time was being coached by Rohan Kanhai who convinced him to move forward and play for Trinidad and Tobago in 1983.

Simmons was selected to represent the national side during West Indies tour of England in 1988. During a practice game against Gloucestershire, he was hit on the head by a fast delivery and his heart stopped beating and he had to be rushed to the hospital. His Test statistics don't show his ability as a batsman but that didn’t take away his talent. His one Test hundred came against a stiff Australian side in tough conditions in 1992/93.

Simmons played for several English counties but his best moment came when he led Leicestershire to win the County Championships in 1996. Like many cricketers his international career failed to take off. The big West Indian retired from playing cricket in 2002 but stayed connected with the game. In 2004 Simmons was appointed coach of the Zimbabwe national side but was made scapegoat for all the problems and was sacked after just over a year in charge. Two years later in 2007 he was appointed coach of the Irish national side and has since then helped the team progress leaps and bounds.