Simmons shuts down “noise” about victimisation in West Indies camp

By Brandon Corlette in Barbados

West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons did not entertain the media on Thursday afternoon in relation to questions surrounding fast-bowling all-rounder Odean Smith. Smith, a Jamaican, played in the first T20I, and bowled one over for four runs; and in the second match, he did not bowl a single ball. In the third T20I, Smith was left out of the starting XI, and that raised a lot of eyebrows.

Asked about Smith’s role in the West Indies team, Simmons has said: “He is a bowler who bowls quick and can hit the ball out of the ground. In the games where he did not bowl, it is a situation like this: we have seven bowlers, and, unfortunately, he did not bowl. Fabian Allen did not bowl much, it is just the run of the game on the day.
“We needed a batsman to come in yesterday, and we made that choice, of course Jason (Holder) and (Sheldon) Cottrell are your main bowlers at the top there, and Shepherd has shown with both bat and ball that he is doing well, so we wanted him to continue. That is just the situation of him (Smith) being left out,” Simmons explained.

Simmons has vowed that once he is around, there would be no victimisation. “For me, that cannot happen when I am here. You do not victimise anyone, you do not try to pull down anyone. You try to make players better persons and better cricketers afterwards. In my coaching career, you look to help the man next to you, and that is one thing I have been preaching in this team and all the teams I have dealt with. There is no such thing as victimisation once I am here, and there will be none.
“You are going down the wrong line with this. Let me explain something to you, and I am explaining it again. We need to stop this foolishness that we are going on with right through. This team, we sat down here and looked at the best team for the day. If Odean was not in the best team for the day yesterday, it is because we thought Rovman was better suited for yesterday. So, all those who want to sit out there and preach about victimisation, they need to look within themselves.
“There is no victimisation in selection in West Indies cricket, and no victimisation in this team, playing anyone. So, we need to start stepping away from that and letting the people who are pushing this head know that that is not happening here. And I am not going to answer any question on things like that,” Simmons explained.
Despite all the outside noise, West Indies are one win away from a series win against the top-ranked T20I team. England would be without the injured Eoin Morgan for the remaining two matches.