Phil Simmons To Step Down As Afghanistan Coach After World Cup
Phli Simmons (Credits: ESPNCricinfo)

Phil Simmons will step down as Afghanistan coach after the World Cup. The former West Indies and Ireland coach had taken charge of Afghanistan towards the end of 2017. Simmons has said that the time is right for him to move on as the target he was given – of helping Afghanistan make it to the World Cup – has been achieved. Afghanistan had won the ICC World Cup qualifier last year by beating West Indies to qualify for the main event.

According to report in ESPNCricinfo, Simmons has already conveyed his decision to Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Saturday. With Afghanistan doing well under Simmons,  ACB would have extended his contract which would expire at the end of the World Cup. However, Simmons has decided against renewing his contract as he looks for new ventures.

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Phil Simmons To Step Down As Afghanistan Coach After World Cup
Phli Simmons (Credits: ESPNCricinfo)

“I have thought about it and I have actually given the ACB my notice that I will not be renewing my contract,” Simmons told the news outlet. “I will move on to something different once my contract expires on July 15.

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“I signed up originally for 18 months and I think I have done a lot in this period. It is time for me to move on to something else now. To want to get to the World Cup – that was ACB’s goal at the time they appointed me. My goal is always to leave things better than when I joined: the way we practice, the way we think about the game, the way we assess other teams. I’ve tried to help the players in all those areas,” he added.

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Simmons’ decision, meanwhile, comes just days after ACB controversially removed Asghar Afghan as their captain across formats. Gulbadin Naib will lead the team in the World Cup after being made the ODI captain while Rahmat Shah and Rashid Khan were given the responsibilities of leading the Test and T20I teams respectively.

Phil Simmons, Afghanistan
Phil Simmons would end his stint with Afghanistan after World Cup (Credits: Getty)

Following the change in captaincy, Afghanistan stars Rashid and Mohammad Nabi had openly criticised the move. Perhaps this was the reason behind Simmons’ decision to not extend his contract as he said he did not play any role in the change of captaincy.

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“No, I was not aware of it. I was not given any reasons. It was the decision of the Afghanistan Cricket Board and the selectors,” Simmons said. “How can I take it? I can’t change it. So I have to just get on with what I have to do and make sure the squad is preparing in the same way I wanted them to prepare barring the [captaincy] change.”

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