GEORGETOWN, April 4: Former West Indies all-rounder Phil Simmons, who takes over as Ireland coach after the World Cup, says the hosts can learn a lot from the Irish part-timers.

“There's more zip and enthusiasm from Ireland, who have nothing to lose than from West Indies, who have a lot to lose,” Simmons told the BBC. “If you play in the World Cup in your home country, I don't see more motivation than that.”

Simmons has a close interest in the form of the West Indies team.

Not only is he a former Test and One-day International player, he is also the uncle of Lendl Simmons whose selection for West Indies' defeat against New Zealand caused a split in the Windies' ranks.

Simmons said he was unimpressed with West Indies' poor display in the field when they allowed Sri Lanka to post 303-5 in a 113-run loss on Sunday, a defeat which has virtually killed off the hosts' chances of making the semi-finals.

“It's going to be hard, and after two games in three days they would have been tired, but sometimes you play back-to-back one-dayers and come out on top,” said Simmons.—AFP