Simmons on the way out?

[Paoli]

http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/conte...ry/215870.html

According to this report, it'd seem so.

Phil Simmons, Zimbabwe's coach, is on the verge of being fired, according to sources close to the national side.
Simmons was already under pressure before the recent two-day humiliation by New Zealand. He had been publicly criticised by a selector following the Test and ODI series losses in Bangladesh earlier in the year.

I'd say yes, except for the obvious problem; who wants to coach Zimbabwe?!? Allegedly, Sandip Patil is being sounded out as a replacement; good move, I think, if it goes ahead. He knows how to work with African teams quite well.

The guy's won two ODI's and that's it. If we win against New Zealand, he'll be a hero. Of course, chances are that are minimal at best.

Discuss.

[Paoli]

Kevin Curran has taken over. Stupid move. This guy has coached them in the past, was sacked after the 2003 World Cup which was covered up by a typical ZC we-can't-get-in-touch-with-him line.

Best of luck; probably Zimbabwe's second best ever cricketer.

[The Phantom Ram]

Originally Posted by Paoli69

Best of luck; probably Zimbabwe's second best ever cricketer.

If Kevin Curran is second best who would you rate as the best? Who would be your top 10?

[Paoli]

Greatest Ever Zimbabwean XI is the thread you'll see for my top XI, in the end a few of us decided on a best XI. Kevin Curran second best, obviously preceded by one Andrew Flower. A close third is Heath Streak, then you can add the likes of Goodwin, Houghton and Johnson into the mix.

My top ten in order though...

A Flower, K Curran, H Streak, M Goodwin, D Houghton, G Flower, P Strang, Freddie Brooks, N Johnson, S Ervine. Freddie Brooks was a player in the early 1900's; going back Rhodesia days there...

Back to the appointment. I'm not sure if Kevin Curran can make it again as a coach. He certainly has the discipline unlike Simmons; he banned Brendan Taylor for nine months for not attending training twice in the A Team series against Pakistan; a ban ultimately reduced to three by ZC. If he can bring discipline and unity into their attitudes, he may also be able to bring it into their games.

[stone bird]

kevin curran had a brief stint at coach until carl rackerman and geoff marsh came.


he was never sacked after the 2003 world cup...

its a move in the right direction as curran shows plenty of enthusiasm.

interesting to see how the test series between india and zim go.

wouldn't surprise me to see ray price return to zimbabwe one day

[Paoli]

I clearly remember after the World Cup that Kevin Curran; the assistant coach or team manager, I can't remember, wasn't there from the Cup to the Bangladesh home series. I think ZC used a cover up at the time.

I've always been a believer that nationals should coach their team. Maybe for Simmons coaching Zimbabwe was a job; and hopefully for Curran it is a mission. As for the Ray Price point, doubtful until the end of next year when he'll reassess everything at Worcester. When given an opportunity, he's played well.

Best of luck to KC and the boys, and I'm hoping the ODI's go well.