MR Phil Simmons is not thought of as being among the ‘Legends’ of West Indies cricket.

His record for the West Indies between 1987 and 1999, as batsman and useful medium pacer, is by no means prepossessing. Just as well, perhaps, given that Mr Simmons is now coach of the West Indies team.

Unaffected by any pretensions to stardom or legendary status, Mr Simmons became a fully qualified cricket coach. He worked long, hard and consistently as an international coach — most notably of associate nation Ireland — to become today among the most respected globally.

The 51-year-old Trinidadian will be aware of most, if not all, of the many difficulties ahead of him. After all, when his playing days ended, huge cracks in the regional game had already opened up. He knows that today the situation is much, much worse.

And yet, he also knows that, for all the difficulties, there remains an abundance of natural cricket talent in the Caribbean. It’s perhaps the saddest aspect of contemporary West Indies cricket that so much natural talent goes to waste.

To paraphrase Mr Simmons’ legendary countryman Mr Brian Lara: In the West Indies very good talent is often made ordinary, while in the developed cricket-playing countries, the opposite is true.

To begin with, Mr Simmons will have to be strong in every respect in dealing with a system of cricket administration in the Caribbean that is essentially flawed, though we concede that individual personalities can make a difference.

By whatever means necessary, Mr Simmons, hopefully with the full support of the legendary Chairman of Selectors Mr Clive Lloyd, must ensure that, regardless of the dysfunctions in the system, he and his team are able to build a culture focused on thoughtful planning and organisation.

That cerebrally oriented ethos was glaringly missing as the West Indies stumbled from one shoddy performance to another before exiting the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Of course, there must be a balanced approach. Mr Simmons must make sure that even as there is emphasis on calculated planning for every situation his players do not eschew the individual flair, style and obvious joy in playing that have made them attractive to watch, even in bad times.

That said, there are bottom line principles that must not be compromised. In line with modern professional sport, fitness in mind and body must be first and foremost. He has to insist on time-honoured basics of good cricket, such as efficient rotation of the strike by batsmen, and a focused approach by batsmen, bowlers and fielders.

Caribbean cricket-watchers, long used to disappointment, will not be expecting success overnight. However, they will be watching closely in the upcoming Test series against England for recognisable improvement.