Simmons to arrive in Dhaka today to take charge of Tigers

Phil Simmons who replaced Chandika Hathurusingha as head coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team will arrive in Dhaka today (Wednesday) to join the team in preparation for the ICC World Test Championship series against South Africa.

Simmons, 61, has reached an agreement to work with the BCB until the ICC Champions Trophy competition in Pakistan next year.

The BCB President Faruque Ahmed said they are pleased to announce Simmons as the coach.

His announcement as interim coach came after the BCB suspended Hathurusingha, citing his misconduct against a national player and extended period of leaves than allowed.

"I have had the opportunity to speak to Phil Simmons and have listened to his cricket philosophy and ideas," Faruque said. 

"His extensive coaching experience, vision and proven track record of success make him an ideal choice for this role."

As a coach, Simmon has a distinguished career that BCB took in consideration.

Having represented the West Indies in 26 Tests and 143 ODIs between 1987 and 1999, Simmons began his international coaching career with Zimbabwe in 2004 before going on to coach Ireland from 2007 to 2015.

He was appointed West Indies Head Coach twice and was in charge when the team became ICC World T20 champions in 2016. Simmons also coached Afghanistan from 2018 to 2019.

Most recently, Simmons has worked with teams in various franchisee leagues, including the Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Major League Cricket in the USA, and the GT20 in Canada.