The Board of Control for Cricket in India have given Simpson the job as they feel no Indian cricket coach is qualified for the task.

``None of our leading cricketers are coaches, while Simpson has been a coach to the Australian team for nine years. He has played in India as well and played Test cricket for several years,'' said BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur.

``Simpson has the wealth of experience and all the other pre-requisites to pull the Indian cricket team out of the dismal situation it is in now. He will not only oversee the Indian team's preparations for the World Cup, but also look into all aspects of Indian cricket.''

Warwickshire have attempted to quell members' unrest at the appointment of West Indian Brian Lara as captain for next summer.

In a letter to all 15,000 members, chief executive, Dennis Amiss, admitted it had been a difficult decision to take the captaincy away from Tim Munton on fitness grounds.

Munton missed last season with a back injury and the club claim they ``would not be certain about Tim's real cricketing fitness until he took the field of play''.