Zimbabwe fire Simmons
BULAWAYO: Former national player Kevin Curran was appointed to take over from Phil Simmons as Zimbabwe cricket coach yesterday. "Following the poor performance of the national team in the First Test against New Zealand, we did some serious introspection and asked everyone involved within the team to be critical of their part in the heavy defeat," said Zimbabwe cricket managing director Osias Bvute in a press statement. Last week, Zimbabwe lost the First Test to New Zealand by an innings and 294 runs inside two days. Yesterday, the Kiwis claimed victory by an innings and 46 runs on the third day of the Second Test. Initially, Zimbabwe cricket authorities declined to confirm the change, even though Curran said he was preparing practice matches ahead of next week’s One-Day International series involving Zimbabwe, India and New Zealand. Simmons was not immediately available for comment. According to the statement, he "has been reassigned to other coaching duties." The former West Indies allrounder was Zimbabwe coach since last September when Geoff Marsh returned to Australia after completing a two-year contract. Curran is a former right arm fast-medium bowler and middle order batsman who first played for Zimbabwe in 1980. He represented the country at the 1983 and 1987 World Cup tournaments. He retired in 1999.
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"Zimbabwe fire Simmons"