West Indies to split Test and white-ball coaches with next appointment

Phil Simmons left his post after the Test series in Australia, having announced that intention following a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign

Cricket West Indies are recruiting separate head coaches for their men's Test and white-ball sides for the first time.

Phil Simmons, the previous incumbent, oversaw both formats until he resigned following a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.

The change in policy was made following advice from an independent World Cup Review Group, which included both Brian Lara and Mickey Arthur, that believed the team's preparation would benefit from separate coaches.

"We believe it is now necessary to split the role and engage separate coaches for red and white ball formats," said CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams. "The increased frequency of back-to-back multi-format tours combined with the specific demands of the respective formats no longer provides enough time for one individual to adequately plan, prepare and review across bilateral series and franchise itineraries that are so condensed.

"Separating the roles will also provide the head coaches with more time to oversee players' ongoing development away from tours directly, and through increased engagement and planning with suitable high-performance programmes and coaches."

^{Brian Lara was among those asked to review West Indies' performances (Will Russell/Getty Images)}

In October, West Indies failed to make it out of their group in the T20 World Cup. Despite resigning, Simmons stayed on to take charge of the Test series in Australia which they lost 2-0.

Andre Coley has been in interim charge since then; in that time, West Indies were victorious in a Test series in Zimbabwe before being comfortably beaten by South Africa. The ODI series against the same opposition is set to begin on March 16.

The move to separate the roles comes shortly after England and South Africa, who have both made the same step in the last 12 months.

Related Topics

• Eton-Harrow fixture granted five-year stay of execution in MCC climbdown

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.