I received the offer a week and a half ago: Phil Simmons

West Indian Phil Simmons has officially been appointed as the head coach of the Bangladesh cricket team. After Chandika Hathurusingha's departure, Simmons was a contender for the coaching position but was not successful in securing it at that time. Speaking at a press conference in Mirpur, he expressed that he was unaware of the reasons for not getting the job previously. Notably, Simmons had led the West Indies to victory in the 2016 T20 World Cup, and he is excited to take on this new responsibility with the Bangladesh team.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) began searching for Hathurusingha's replacement while the team was on their tour of India, which led to Simmons being offered the position about a week and a half ago. Today marked his first appearance before the Bangladeshi media as the new head coach. When asked when he received the offer, Simmons replied, "Today is Saturday? Then I received the offer a week and a half ago."

Simmons also reflected on his previous unsuccessful bid for the head coach position in 2017, saying, "I didn’t get the job before, so how can I say how things are different now? Unfortunately, I didn’t secure the position back then."

Discussing the challenges of working with Bangladesh players and his plans, Simmons stated, "Every coaching position at the international level is a hot seat. Working in Bangladesh may be tough. My job is to ensure the players can play freely and enjoy themselves. It's about preparing them for the game. The last two days have gone excellently."

"My philosophy is to work hard, and the results will come. Results may not always be favorable, but they will come. I've seen in recent days that they are working hard on their game, skills, and fitness. I am pleased," he added.