Phil Simmons suspended as West Indies head coach

Phil Simmons was head coach of Ireland for eight years

West Indies have suspended head coach Phil Simmons after his criticism of the selections for the tour of Sri Lanka.

The 52-year-old, who only took charge in March, questioned the omissions of all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the one-day squad.

"It's disappointing from the fact that I haven't got the best 50-over ODI squad that we can select," he said.

Eldine Baptiste, a member of the selection panel, will now take charge of the tour which starts on 14 October.

A media release from West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said Simmons' comments appeared to "question the legitimacy of the selection process".

It added: "As a result, the management of the WICB has taken action to suspend the head coach, pending an investigation into the issue.

"The head coach will not now travel with the team on the tour of Sri Lanka."

Bravo and Pollard have not featured in the ODI squad since they were dropped for the tour of South Africa in December 2014 after a tour of India was aborted because of a pay dispute.