Image Credit- Getty
The former all-rounder Phil Simmons of the West Indies
has been named head coach of the Karachi Kings ahead of the 2024 Pakistan Super
League (PSL) season. Johan Botha, a former all-rounder from South Africa, will
be replaced by Simmons. Botha led the Kings to a second-place finish in the PSL
2023 with three victories from ten games.
After playing 26 Tests and 143 ODIs between 1987 and
1999, Simmons had a successful coaching career that included many spells with
the West Indies. The last of these terminated following the team’s elimination
in the first round of the Australian 2022 T20 World Cup. He is the head coach
of the Major League Cricket (MLC) LA Knight Riders and the Caribbean Premier
League (CPL) Trinbago Knight Riders.
During the 1987 World Cup, Simmons made one
international appearance in Karachi. In a statement, he expressed his
excitement about visiting the city again and collaborating with Kings team
director Haider Azhar.
“Returning to Karachi, a city I hold dear from my
playing days, feels like a homecoming,” Simmons said. “I am thrilled
to join forces with Haider Azhar and the rest of the team’s think tank, drawing
from the rich cricketing heritage of this country.
“I am thankful to team owner Salman Iqbal, CEO
Tariq Wasi, and Karachi Kings management for this opportunity. We are eager to
move ahead with our rebuilding and restart process of Karachi Kings and
establish this franchise as a match-winning unit.”
After eight seasons in the PSL, Kings have only won
one championship, in 2020. After missing out on the tournament playoffs in 2022
and 2023, they will be hoping that Simmons’ hiring can turn things around.
Building the Kings’ roster at the player draft on
Wednesday will be Simmons’ first assignment. Eight players make up the Kings
squad at the moment: Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Hasan Ali, Shoaib
Malik, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, and captain Shan Masood.