West Indies suspend coach Phil Simmons

St. John's (Antigua), Sep 28: West Indies coach Phil Simmons was suspended by the country's cricket board on Monday for appearing to question the make-up of his one-day international squad that will play on tour in Sri Lanka in November.

Eldine Baptiste, who is a member of the West Indies Cricket Board's selection panel, will take temporary charge of the team while the issue is investigated.

Simmons reportedly said there was "too much interference from outside" in the selection of the ODI squad, after allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard failed to make the squad.

According to the cricinfo.com website, Simmons said he and chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd were outnumbered 3-2 in a vote for the return of Bravo and Pollard.

"I think it's disappointing from the fact that I haven't got the best 50-over ODI squad that we can select in the Caribbean," Simmons is quoted by cricinfo.com as saying at a news conference on Wednesday.

The WICB said in a statement released Monday that Simmons' comments "appear to question the legitimacy of the selection process" of the ODI squad.

The ODI series against Sri Lanka starts on Nov. 1 and is the first under new captain Jason Holder.

Before then, the teams play two test matches. Simmons, a former national-team player, has been in charge of the West Indies since March.