When St. Lucian Darren Sammy was named West Indian captain in October 2010, it sent shock-waves across the entire West Indies, the cricket-playing nations, and cricket lovers everywhere. They were saying:
“How can Sammy be captain? He’s not qualified.”
“Sammy’s not a member of the regular rotation, so how can he captain the side.”
“Now we see why T&T wanted Ganga to be captain. I guess it’s possible.”
“We don’t have a regular side, so they should’ve kept Gayle as captain. ”
“What’s new? The West Indian selectors have lost their minds years ago.”
But, I say that we don’t have a regular side right now. The only steadfast members of the senior team (with Sarwan deemed unfit to be contracted and Denesh Ramdin left out) are Gayle, Chanderpaul, and Bravo. None of the others have been consistently included the regular 15-man squad the past year or two. With Gayle being “stripped?” of captaincy after he and Bravo turned down retainer contracts and Chanderpaul in his last year(s) not wanting the job, why not Sammy? It just means that Sammy will be a specialty medium-pacer, NOT an all-rounder. The all-rounder spot will more than likely be Dwayne Bravo’s.
Let us rally around our new West Indian captain, Darren Sammy, who seems quite cool-headed. Hopefully that will translate into a cohesive and focused team, something we have not seen in years. The talent is there but lack of focus and discipline has led to inconsistency issues.
Sammy’s Statement
“I have always given my all when I prepare and play for the West Indies and nothing will change now. I know this will be a difficult challenge and I will take the torch from Chris and hold it high as we forge ahead. I have been playing for the West Indies since 2004 and over those six years I have built strong relationships with many players and I expect to have the full support of the squad.“
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