Simmons gives the players their due

The name Phil Simmons, for older fans of the game, will conjure up images of a fierce West Indian competitor who was part of the great West Indian side of the late 80s and early 90s. Since his last international game in 1999, Simmons devoted his considerable experience to being an international coach, and led a plummeting Zimbabwe till 2005. His prowess as a coach came to the fore, however, when he took over the reins of Ireland for the 2007 World Cup and guided them to the Super Eights stage in their first global tournament.
Four years on, he is still Ireland's coach as they embark on their second World Cup. Since 2007 Ireland have consolidated their position as the best of the Associate nations, winning 11 out of 17 matches since the start of 2010, including matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe last year, albeit in home conditions.
Credit should go to Phil Simmons for their consistent showing in international cricket but the former West Indies allrounder, speaking after Ireland's practice at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday, said that the credit should go to his players.
“I think the secret is the amount of hard work that the guys have put in. I think they've worked very hard on their games, and they always want to learn more and improve,” Simmons said, and went on to identify the Associate nation's greatest strength. “I think, in general, our greatest strength is our unwillingness to die; unwillingness to say it's over, our enthusiasm and our team spirit. We work hard for each other.”
The Ireland captain, William Porterfield had said that they want to qualify for the quarterfinals. To do that, the men from the Emerald Isle will look to put one over Bangladesh in today's game, a game that is a must-win for both teams to further their ambitions of going far in this tournament.
“Their cricket is improving, as it must. A lot of players have been playing for a while, so it must improve,” said Simmons when asked about Bangladesh's progress. He is well placed to judge as he had led Zimbabwean as well as Irish tours to the country in the past.
“Especially at home they have improved. They've beaten New Zealand and Zimbabwe recently, and they played well against England. So everything is moving forward. From our point of view, we are moving up, and it will be good to play against them every time (we do),” Simmons said of his team's opponents.
A common thread of discussion when talking about the Ireland-Bangladesh match has surrounded Ireland's culpability against spin, a weapon that forms the core of the home side's strength. Simmons, however, focused on a different aspect of Bangladesh's cricket.
“Their top three batsmen can take the game away from you in the first ten overs. If we control that, then we will be in the game,” said the Ireland coach.