Phil Simmons … front-runner to land the post of WI coach. - file

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

FORMER TRINIDAD and Tobago and West Indies all-rounder Phillip Simmons is the front-runner to land the post of West Indies coach, a source has disclosed.

"Phil Simmons and Barbadian Ottis Gibson were the men at the front, but with Gibson taking up a full-time role with England, the door is now wide open for Simmons to take up the job," the source revealed.

Simmons, as well as Antiguan Eldine Baptiste, Trinidad and Tobago's David Williams, Barbadian Hendy Springer, Gibson, Guyana's Mark Harper and Vincentian Ian Allen, had all sent in their credentials to be judged by the West Indies Cricket Board directors, when they convene on October 20 for their regular meeting in Barbados.

Currently Ireland coach

Simmons is currently the coach of Ireland, where he took over after the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in the Caribbean.

The hard-hitting, right-handed opener also had previous coaching attachments with T&T and the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy.He could not see eye to eye with the president of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, Peter Chingoka, and left that job.

The source added that the directors - through round-robin discussions - had already narrowed down the list to Simmons and Gibson.However, over the weekend, Gibson firmed up a contract with the England Cricket Board as their bowling coach and now Simmons is tipped to take the top job.

The position became available upon the resignation of Australian Bennett King, after the failure of the West Indies cricket team at the last World Cup.

King's vacancy was filled by his assistant, David Moore, who took the team to England, where they were defeated in the Test series, but won the limited overs series.

They then moved over to Ireland, where they won a tri-nations competition.

Moore then took them to the ICC Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa and they exited at the first round. Williams was assistant in South Africa.