Zeecric Bureau
Mumbai: South African influence on the Indian team is set to go up a notch higher as BCCI has roped in former all-rounder Eric Simons as the bowling coach.
The decision to select Simons, who played just 23 one-day internationals and no Test matches, comes as a surprise to the cricket lovers in the country who were expecting the names of his more illustrious country-mates Allen Donald and Shaun Pollock to be announced for the post vacated after Venkatesh Prasad’s unceremonious sacking last year.
Donald had even expressed his willingness to the post if approached by BCCI.
Eric Simons, who was a stalwart for Western Province, made his debut for South Africa in 1994 at the ripe age of 32.
A genuine all-rounder - he bowled fast-medium initially before slowing down his pace in his later years.
After retiring, he became Western Province`s coach and in September 2002 he was appointed as national coach. His tenure lasted two years until he stepped down in October 2004 amid a poor run of form for the national side.
