Phil Simmons contests sacking

Phil Simmons: 'There was no way I could listen to people who don't even know which side of the bat is up' © AFP

Zimbabwe Cricket has formally terminated Phil Simmons's three-year coaching contract, almost two months after he was removed from the post and replaced by Kevin Curran.

After his sacking on August 17, Simmons continued to be paid by the board as it sought to redeploy him in other areas. But at the end of last week Simmons was written to by ZC's lawyers and told that he was being dismissed. Under the terms of his contract, Simmons will be entitled to six months' salary, but he was instructed to leave the board-owned accommodation he received as part of his package as well as returning his car and other perks.

As late as Friday, Simmons was insisting that he was contesting his dismissal, maintaining it was illegal as it had not been carried out in accordance with the board's own constitution. On Thursday, Simmons and Curran both attended the selection meeting for the forthcoming series against Kenya.

"I never went to school to study human resources, or anything else ... cricket is my profession," Simmons told the Zimbabwe Standard. "That is why I fell out with ZC because they always wanted to tell me how to do my job, yet the same people never even came to see us practice. There was no way I could listen to people who don't even know which side of the bat is up."