Robbed India of T20 World Cup-winning opportunity at home, West Indies opener announces retirement
The nation that consumes cricket unlike any other region in the world will not forget Lendl Simmons.
The nation that consumes cricket unlike any other region in the world will not forget Lendl Simmons. The Caribbean opener made Jasprit Bumrah regret bowling a no ball off a delivery that he got his wicket. Simmons' unbeaten knock helped West Indies beat India in the semi-final to setup a blockbuster clash with England at Eden Gardens. Six years later, Simmons announced his retirement from international cricket on a day when his Denesh Ramdin and English all-rounder Ben Stokes announced retirement from international cricket and ODI cricket respectively.
Simmons’ numbers
Simmons is not regarded as one of the most consistent West Indies players. He has been in and out of the side several times. In Test cricket, he managed to score just 278 runs from eight Tests at an average of 17.37. His ODI records are slightly better with 1,958 runs from 68 games at an average of 31.58 including two centuries and 16 half-centuries. But, the best-suited format for him is T20I cricket where he scored 1,527 runs at an average of 26.78 including nine half-centuries.
Debut
Simmons made his international debut in an ODI game against Pakistan in December 2006. Simmons did not fire straightaway and registered a two-ball duck.
Last international appearance
His last international appearance was against South Africa in T20 World Cup 2021. Simmons struggled to hit boundaries or rotate the strike and managed just 16 runs from 35 deliveries. Because of Simmons’ slow knock, West Indies posted a mediocre total and lost the match. As a result, the defending champions of the tournament in the group stage only. Later, Simmons was dropped from the T20I side.
Memorable knock
Simmons' best T20I knock came against India in the semi-final of T20 World Cup 2016. Batting at no.4, he scored 82 runs from 51 deliveries including seven fours and five sixes. He remained not out and took West Indies home with two balls to spare.
IPL career
Simmons made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in the 2014 edition for Mumbai Indians (MI). In his debut season, he scored 394 runs from eight games including an unbeaten hundred. In the 2015 season, he scored 540 runs from 13 matches at an average of 45 including six half-centuries. MI won the 2015 season. In 2016, he played just one game. In 2017, he had an inconsistent run but became the member of an IPL-winning team for the second time. Also, he will retire as the highest run-scorer of Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
