West Indies have suspended coach Phil Simmons after he expressed his unhappiness with the one-day international squad selected for the tour of Sri Lanka.

The 52-year-old claimed that he was not getting the best possible group of players available to him due to "interference from outside".

Simmons has now been suspended from his duties with immediate effect, paving the way for former bowler Eldine Baptiste to take over on an interim basis.

"The West Indies Cricket Board has learnt of the comments from head coach of the West Indies team Phil Simmons in the print and electronic media which appear to question the legitimacy of the selection process of the one-day international squad for the tour of Sri Lanka," the board said in a statement.

"As a result, the management of the WICB has taken action to suspend the head coach, pending an investigation into the issue. The head coach will not now travel with the team on the tour of Sri Lanka."

The series between West Indies and Sri Lanka gets underway on October 14.