Calcutta: The West Indies cricket team is never too far from controversies. The latest one to hit them is Dwayne Bravo's criticism of the West Indies Cricket Board for the sacking of coach Phil Simmons.
All-rounder Bravo, in an interview to a radio channel in the Caribbean, claimed that the Board's decision to axe "trusted" head coach Simmons on the day of the squad's departure for Dubai had left the team demoralised for the ongoing limited overs tour against Pakistan.
The WICB, on Wednesday, countered Bravo's comment with a media release, saying the West Indies team management was "disappointed but not surprised" with Bravo's comments.
The statement from team manager Joel Garner said: "This team was well prepared to engage Pakistan considering the conditions and the adjustments that were necessary to bring meaningful benefits to this team. Whilst change is difficult to manage, none of the players were neglected by the coaching and support staff in the execution of their duties.
"The team's preparation consisted of acclimatization, recovery sessions, strength and conditioning, nets and skill sets, management planning meeting which were supported by video footage of the opposition, bullet point reminders and input from our experienced coaching staff and inclusive of the T20 and ODI captains and the players.
"Mr Bravo, with prior permission, by the former head coach, turned up on the day before the first Twenty20 match. His suggestion of disorganisation in the team's plans and preparation is therefore false and misleading."
Bravo, a day earlier, had said that the players and management team appeared "lost" during the series against Pakistan and the dressing room lacked a positive atmosphere.
"I'm very passionate about the game so whenever I step on a cricket field I give a hundred per cent," Bravo was quoted as saying by the Jamaican Gleaner.
"But the honest truth is, it is very difficult for a bunch of guys - collectively - 15 guys to switch on and go play in a series when on the day of the team travelling, they find out that their head coach was fired. Which organisation in the world would do things like that? "[Simmons was] the most successful coach the team had in recent years in his short stint. I'm sure the people of the Caribbean see the positive signs with and within the team.
"We went on, we won the [T20] World Cup ... We played well in the tri-nations against two very powerful ODI teams and yet still, moments before the team flies to Dubai, they fired the coach... So it will definitely affect the morale of the team and the players," Bravo said.
"I've been in the team for 12 years and if it is one coach I actually see who the players really, really look up to and really enjoyed playing for was Simmons. The players had that trust with Simmons and it is no longer there anymore," he added.
"I was there in Dubai and basically players were lost, the management team looked lost... We were looking like school kids again. The team meetings had no sort of positive input or anything like that. It was like we were just there."
