PHIL BACK AT THE HELM

It may have taken an inordinate amount of time to be rectified, but the announcement that former Ireland Coach Phil Simmons has been reinstated as West Indies Coach has been received with widespread approval throughout the Caribbean.

Simmons once again publicly apologized to all and sundry for his comments in September that created the furore, and breached the confidentiality of a selection committee meeting.

Perhaps the comments were ill-advised at the time, but they came from a frustrated Coach and they certainly didn’t warrant such an expeditious suspension.

The fact that he was temporarily replaced by one of the disgruntled selectors and a defeated rival for the West Indies Coach position highlighted the nepotism and insular thinking that has made the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) the laughing stock of world cricket.

The reinstatement of Simmons was widely predicted given the huge swell of public opinion that supported his stance, and the general feeling that his comments were poignantly accurate. While big Phil kept a dignified silence during the impasse, prominent cricketers, leading politicians and the general public lambasted WICB President David Cameron’s leadership and the addition of yet another embarrassing episode under his controversial stewardship.

Worse still, temporary Coach Eldine Baptiste failed to capitalize on all the good work Simmons had done preparing the squad for the Sri Lanka tour and results were once again disappointing.

Drawing a line under the Simmons affair and moving on is what cricket lovers throughout the region want, but it won’t be that simple for the beleaguered WI Board.

In the past week a high profile CARICOM investigation into the management and structure of West Indies Cricket has called for the disbandment of the WICB and a temporary administration put in place until a completely new structure is conceptionalized.

The investigating committee rubbished the current structure as a dinosaur and divisive entity that has contributed to the current demise in West Indies cricket and called for immediate change. Not surprisingly, the report has been warmly received and although the reinstatement of Simmons will be seen as a conciliatory move from the WICB it has come too late in the process to absolve the Board from criticism of another administrative mess of their own doing.

It now remains to be seen how the Board will react to such a public vote of “No Confidence” and whether they will do the honourable thing and fall on their own sword.

As for Phil Simmons it may not be back to back to Square 1, but it would be naïve to think things will ever be the same after this unsavoury debacle. However, the good news is that his outburst may be the catalyst to bring change as West Indies cricket has been going nowhere for over 20 years and the momentum for independent countries has grown in the past two months.

Change has to happen soon or it will disintegrate so a completely new regime must be put in place to herald a new era in Caribbean cricket. Phil Simmons and his players could be the beneficiaries and David Cameron and his Board members the scapegoats, because most people in the region feel poor leadership and incestuous decision-making has been the most destructive element in West Indies cricket in the modern era.

On the streets it’s welcome back Phil Simmons and pack your bags President David Cameron and Co.