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• No place like home: Simmons anticipates return to T&T as part of Papua New Guinea's staff for T20 World Cup

  Former West Indies head coach Phil Simmons says he is looking forward to being back in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago while assisting Papua New Guinea through their ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign in which they will rub shoulders with West Indies.

  Simmons, 61, joins Oceania side as a specialist coach, and he will provide Papua New Guinea's head coach Tatenda Taibu with some added experience and knowledge of playing in Caribbean conditions during the June 1-29 showpiece, which will also see games being played in United States.

  “My role here is as a consultant coach and how I put across my experience, not just playing in World Cups, but playing in the Caribbean and the things that we should be looking at to make sure we do it right in the Caribbean and especially the venues that we play at,” Simmons shared.

  Having built a strong reputation working with international sides such as Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan, Simmons, who has played the sport for 14 years and coached for a further 18 years, was pressed for time to spend in the Caribbean and, as such, welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in the twin island republic.

  “It’s been a long time in the game. It’s always brilliant to come home, always brilliant to come back to any part of the West Indies you know how beautiful it is here. I’m looking forward to getting home, which is Trinidad. Having people come here, me getting back here, it’s always a great thing, it’s always something to look forward to," he declared.

  Simmons, who recently joined the Papua New Guinea squad in their pre-World Cup training camp in St Kitts, expressed pleasure with what he has seen so far.

  “Their energy is unbelievable. Their warm-ups alone, got me tired. The guys look like they have settled in really well. In training, we started to get out in the middle of their game, so they started on some of the things they have to do here in the Caribbean, and it’s nice to see the energy that’s among this squad," Simmons said.

  “I’ve known the head coach [Taibu] for a long time, and he’s always been energetic. There is always a lot of energy, but the players seem to be pushing him where that is concerned, and so I like that atmosphere in the team, I like the liveliness in the team," he added.

  Papua New Guinea will contest Group C alongside West Indies, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Uganada. They will open against the Caribbean side on June 2, at the National Cricket Stadium in Guyana.

• Bravo joins Afghanistan as bowling consultant for T20 World Cup

  The Afghanistan Cricket Board has appointed former West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo as their bowling consultant for the 2024 T20 World Cup, to be held in the Caribbean and the USA from June 1-29.

  Afghanistan have already arrived in St Kitts and Nevis and are expected to begin a ten-day preparatory camp, during which Bravo will join the team.

  Bravo, part of the two-time T20 World Cup-winning West Indies side, retired from international cricket after the 2021 T20 World Cup but continues to play in T20 leagues around the world.

  Earlier this year, he featured for eventual champions MI Emirates in the IL T20. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket with 625 wickets in 573 games.

  Bravo is also the bowling coach of five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, a position he took over after retiring from the IPL in December 2022.

  Afghanistan play their first warm-up game against Oman on May 29 followed by the second one on May 31 against Scotland.

  At the World Cup, Afghanistan are placed in Group C alongside West Indies, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. They start their campaign against Uganda on June 5 in Providence.

• Women's CPL games to feature alongside Windies, SA T20I series in August

  For the first time, a women's franchise game will be played alongside a men's international, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the fixtures of this year's Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) to be held in Trinidad and Tobago, in August.

  Three WCPL matches will be a part of double-headers along with West Indies men's T20 international series against South Africa.

  Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies, described the move as an exciting new concept for the second edition of the WCPL, which is scheduled for August 21 to 29.

  "Women's cricket continues to be a strategic priority for Cricket West Indies, and this is another exciting new concept for WCPL 2024," Grave said.

  "We are certain that there will be huge interest from people in Trinidad in these double headers, as fans will be able to watch world class international Men's cricket, followed by the best female cricketers in the region competing alongside some of the best overseas players in the world,” he added.

  All the WCPL games will take place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, with the double-headers scheduled for August 23, 25 and 27.

  Pete Russell, CEO of the Caribbean Premier League, also expressed excitement at the move.

  "We are very excited to be able to work with Cricket West Indies to have the WCPL take place at the same time as these Men's T20 Internationals. It is another example of how the two organisations are working in harmony to provide the best outcome for fans, players and cricket in the region. We look forward to another successful WCPL as the tournament continues to grow year on year,” Russell reasoned.

  The Hayley Matthews-led Barbados Royals clinched the previous edition of the WCPL, where a total of seven matches were held, including the final, among three teams.

  South Africa are scheduled to tour the Caribbean for two Tests in Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana from August 7. This will be followed by the three-match T20I series at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy from August 23 ahead of the CPL.

  The two teams will also play a four-day warm-up game ahead of the Test series in Tarouba.