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Sammy slams Simmons sacking

Animosity between players and West Indies board continues with World T20 skipper taking to social media to vent at coach's sacking

Former West Indies skipper Daren Sammy has taken to social media to react with despair to the sacking of coach Phil Simmons shortly before the Caribbean team's series against Pakistan.

The West Indies will play three Twenty20s, three one-day internationals and three Test matches in a six-week tour of the United Arab Emirates where they will face Pakistan, the new world No.1 team in Test cricket.

Quick Single: West Indies part ways with coach Simmons

With the first match scheduled for September 23 in Dubai and the West Indies due to depart this weekend, the West Indies Cricket Board today announced it had parted ways with Simmons, just six months after he coached the team to a memorable World T20 triumph in April..

The WICB said "differences in culture and strategic approach" were behind the decision to terminate Simmons' contract after 18 months in charge, with those differences "based on the public pronouncements of the coach and the approach internally''.

Simmons, Sammy and a number of leading West Indies players have fallen out with the WICB in recent times.

Sammy praises teammates, criticises board

Sammy hit out at the WICB in the immediate aftermath of the World T20 triumph, and found himself sacked from the captaincy and dumped from the team when the West Indies next played T20 matches – a two-match series against India that was played on the USA mainland in the Florida city of Fort Lauderdale, a series the former skipper labelled a "publicity stunt".

"So after the publicity stunt in Fort Lauderdale the first so call plan to move West Indies Cricket forward is to Fire the Coach just 2days before a tour.. " Sammy wrote on his Facebook page today.

"Just prove to me what I already knew. If the blind leads the blind they are bound to fall in a pit."

WATCH: Windies storm to World T20 title

He later returned to twitter to again blast the WICB for their "first act after the publicity stunt meeting in Florida".

Simmons had been suspended last September for questioning the country's selection policy, after Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were omitted from West Indies' ODI squad for a series in Sri Lanka. He was reinstated two months later after apologising in time for the team's Test tour of Australia.

In April, the former batting allrounder called on the WICB to review its policy on play availability with an eye to the tri-series with Australia and South Africa.

Prior to the World T20, Simmons had presented to the board to outline his vision on how to take West Indies cricket forward.

"The direction I visualise for West Indies men's senior team to be successful seems to be contrary to others," Simmons told ESPN in April.

"I have not heard anything back from them as yet, but hopefully there will be a productive discussion where (we) can arrive at some common goals."

Quick Single: Lloyd replaced as Windies selector

In June, legendary captain Clive Lloyd was replaced as West Indies chairman of selectors by former Test wicketkeeper Courtney Browne, a decision that prompted Sammy to tweet "Oh Lord".

Team manager Joel Garner and coaches Henderson Springer and Roddy Estwick will take charge of the team for its upcoming T20 matches against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.