The PNG Barramundis have arrived in the West Indies for the ICC T20 World Cup Tournament.
After an exhausting four-day journey, the team has arrived in St Kitts, where they will spend the first round of training sessions and practice matches.
The PNG Barramundis, who are part of the support team for the ICC T20 World Cup, benefit from the invaluable expertise of specialist Coach Phil Simmons, a former West Indies cricketer and Trinidadian all-rounder with over 40 years of cricketing experience.
This is why Simmons is in this position with the PNG Barramundis, returning to his home territory where he played as a youngster for the West Indies and now serving as a specialist coach.
The towering athlete’s impeccable career has included domestic representation with county teams such as Border and Easterns in South Africa, Durham, Leicestershire, and Wales Minor in England and Wales, as well as his home country of Trinidad and Tobago and, of course, the West Indies Cricket Team.
Simmons has coached the national teams of Zimbabwe, India, the West Indies, and, more recently, Afghanistan.
“My role here is as a consultant coach and how I put across my experience, not just playing in world cups but playing in the Caribbean and the things that we should be looking at to make sure we do it right in the Caribbean and especially the venues that we play at,” said Simmons.
“As a player internationally, for fourteen years and then as an international coach for eighteen years it’s been a long time in the game.”
“It’s always brilliant to come home, always brilliant to come back to any part of the West Indies.”
“I’m looking forward to getting home to Trinidad. Having people come here, me getting back here, it’s always a great thing, it’s always something to look forward to.”
He commented on the PNG Barramundis and their arrival and going straight into their training.
“Their energy is unbelievable! Their warmups alone yesterday, got me tired; the guys look like they have settled in really well.”
“On Sunday in training we started to get out in the middle of their game, so they started on some of the things they have to do here in the Caribbean and it’s nice to see the energy that’s among this squad.”
“I’ve known the head coach (Tatenda Taibu) for a long time and he’s always energetic, there is always a lot of energy but the players seem to be pushing him where that is not so and I like that atmosphere in the team, I like the liveliness in the team.”
The first practice match was played against Canada over the weekend, with more practice matches planned throughout the week as the team adjusts.
The first match was delayed slightly due to a rain squall.