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Phil Simmons: ‘I’m not begging players…’, Windies coach Phil Simmons spills pain

Players from Caribbean countries give more importance to playing franchise leagues than West Indies. Now West Indies head coach Phil Simmons said that he does not think that he should beg the players of the country to play for the team. Most of the West Indies cricketers are either playing in the franchise league or are injured, making it difficult for Cricket Windies (CWI) to pick the best team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Phil Simmons told ESPNcricinfo, ‘It hurts. There is no other way for this. But what can you do? I don’t think players should beg to play for their country’s team. I think if you want to represent West Indies then make yourself available.

Life has changed: Simmons

He said, ‘Life has changed. Now players have opportunities to play in different countries and if they choose him instead of West Indies then the situation is going to be the same. The list of absent players is quite long. Andre Russell has not made himself available for selection as Russell is currently playing in The Hundred with Sunil Narine.

Windies’ recent poor performance

While Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas did not appear for the fitness test, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen and Roston Chase are out due to injuries. Recently, West Indies suffered a 1-4 defeat in the T20 series against India. Now before the T20 World Cup, the Windies team has only three-match series left against New Zealand to try players at the international level.

Chief selector Desmond Haynes said of Russell, ‘From what I know, I think he is unavailable because he has not made himself available. I would like every player to play for West Indies. I believe that all players should be available to play for the Windies.