Phil Simmons (WI)
A giant of a man - he stands around 6'4 tall with shoulders to match - Phil was a natural cricketer pretty much from the moment he picked up a bat, rising through the West Indies youth ranks and making his first class debut for his native Trinidad at the age of 19 and making the West Indies squad to tour England five years later. His only first class match of the tour very nearly turned out to be his last, as he ducked into a bouncer from David "Syd" Lawrence in fading light and required life-saving surgery. However he soon made a full recovery and went on to play 26 tests and 143 ODIs for the West Indies. Described as "an explosive all-rounder" on Cricinfo, his abilities were best shown while playing for Leicestershire in 1996 where his 1244 runs, 56 wickets and 35 catches helped them to the County Championship and led to his selection as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. Usually a medium-paced trundler, he upped the ante that year and was widely regarded as one of the quickest bowlers on the circuit (reportedly even outpacing the likes of Devon Malcolm and Allan Donald) and was also capable of bowling decent off-breaks if required, something that he developed much more towards the end of his career. Phil has plied his trade all over the world, with spells for Border and Easterns in South Africa besides his spells in the County Championship (he also spent time at Durham) and since his retirement in 2002 he has ventured into the world of coaching with a well-publicised spell as coach of Zimbabwe in 2004-05, then taking over as coach of Ireland after their successful 2007 World Cup. 2008 will be Phil's third year with the Lashings World XI, having played a full season in 2006 and a solitary match in 2007 between coaching commitments, so we're looking forward to having "Simmo" with us once again when his coaching duties allow.
Click here to see Phil's profile on Cricinfo (opens in new window)
