It’s official or is it?

The Trinidad papers are full of Phil Simmons’s appointment as the new West Indies Coach and the big man’s Facebook page is awash with messages of congratulations, yet the silence in Ireland is deafening.

The possibility of his appointment has been “simmering” for some time so it will come as no surprise in either country given the World Cup has just ended and the West Indies are about to entertain England at home without a Coach. However, seemingly all that has now changed and while Ireland must look for a replacement, cricket in the Caribbean has received a huge boost.

The decision to move on must have posed a huge personal dilemma for the big Trinidadian given the way he has blended comfortably into the Ireland set up over the past eight years. But he’s now reached a milestone in his professional career and while he has nothing left to prove as Ireland Coach, the same could not be said in his new abode. West Indies cricket has been in the doldrums for over 20 years and if the new coach can reverse the trend then he will be the Messiah of Caribbean cricket.

Simmons is immensely popular throughout West Indies cricket, but particularly so in his home country Trinidad. He has also kept a watching brief on the current West Indies squad and watched with great interest the progress of his nephew Lendl in recent times. He has also plotted the defeat of the West Indies by Ireland in this World Cup, although the lure of being involved in test cricket must have been a big incentive to move.

But will the challenge be his golden opportunity or the poisoned chalice that many West Indian cricket people feel he has inherited? There is no doubt some cricket experts feel the job is beyond anyone in the current circumstances so expectations are not high even allowing for the high respect in which Simmons is held.

As a West Indian cricketer of considerable repute Phil Simmons has openly lamented the demise of this once great cricket nation. It is doubtful any other position could have lured him from his current position, but he obviously still feels strongly about cricket in his homeland and he feels he has a contribution to make to bring back former glories.

But it is a daunting task given the divisions within the current squad and the poor leadership at the top of administration that has widened the gulf between the players and the West Indies Cricket Board. There is also the major challenge of handling the huge egos of the “millionaires club” within the West Indies squad and many feel the first thing the new Coach needs to do is to clean out the old brigade and start with a fresh impetus.

Some of the remedial work has already started through Chairman of Selectors Clive Lloyd’s policy of giving new players a chance and dropping Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo from the World Cup Squad. But these guys are Trinidadians and Simmons can expect a strong lobby in his homeland to have them re-instated. The biggest ego belongs to Chris Gayle, but his future and his fitness are uncertain and perhaps a premature retirement might serve West Indies cricket best going forward.

The challenge is huge given the divisions and the problems, but in coaching terms the lure of this job must have been in Simmons’s thoughts for some time. Also, the higher salary won’t go amiss and it while he has helped lift Irish cricket to another level, it is doubtful a new contract would have come anywhere near that on offer in the Caribbean. Therefore there could not have been a better time to step up the ladder especially with England touring the Caribbean in a few weeks.

Yes, the end of an era, so let’s give the big man a well deserved ‘thank you’ for a job well done in Irish cricket and wish him every success in his new role.