Following the discouraging defeats in the white-ball series against India, West Indies coach Phil Simmons has expressed his disappointment with the unavailability of players for the international cricket as they are either injured or busy playing franchise league.
Simmons said, "It hurts. There’s no other way to put it. But what can you do? I don’t think that I should be begging people to play for their countries. I think if you want to represent the West Indies, you will make yourself available."
"Life has changed, in that people have the opportunities to go different places and if they choose that over the West Indies, that’s just how it is," he added.
West Indies' stars Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are currently playing The Hundred as the former hasn't made himself available for the international selection, while the latter's situation is under uncertainty. Apart from them, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen and Roston Chase are all out with injuries, while Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas have not appeared for their fitness tests as per the ESPNcricinfo report.
Team India defeated West Indies by 3-0 in the ODI series, while the Men in Blue were also victorious in the T20I series with a 4-1 lead. West Indies are set to play their first T20I match of the three-match series against New Zealand at late night while the Caribbean side will face the Kiwis for three-match ODI series starting from August 17.