By Prior Beharry
Phil Simmons is the new coach of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR).
He was announced the head coach of TKR on Monday ahead of the 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) starting in August, a release from the four-times CPL champions stated.
Simmons, who played for West Indies from 1987 to 1999 as an opening batter and medium-pacer, representing them in three World Cups, is one of the most respected coaches from the region.
The release stated that after his retirement from playing, Simmons had two stints as head coach of the West Indies (2015–2016 and 2019–2022), along with coaching roles for Zimbabwe (2004–2005), Ireland (2007–2015), and Afghanistan (2017–2019).
Speaking on the development, TKR Captain Kieron Pollard said: “As captain, I’m very excited to have coach Phil with us. We have a great chemistry working together as a pair. We’ve done it in the international scene, and it’s great that we are getting the opportunity to work for TKR. Hopefully, this combination will bring smiles and some exciting results back to TKR.”
TKR Team Venky Mysore said, “We are delighted to have Coach Phil Simmons on board with TKR. He’s highly respected and his knowledge of the local players as well as the foreign players and the younger talent coming through makes him an ideal choice for TKR.”
Trinbago Knight Riders will play their first match of CPL 2023 against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on August 19.
