Darren Sammy - a captain who is sinking the ship

Darren Sammy – a captain who is sinking the ship

Apr 10, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
Captain Darren Sammy is sinking the WI cricket ship! A succinct, objective assessment of his abilities would read as follows – can’t bat, can’t bowl and can’t lead!
Regardless of this, he is incomprehensibly, still the selectors, WICB, and Gibson’s man to captain the ship.
The boat has been barely staying afloat for the past 10 plus years. However, making Sammy the captain, as was done by the WICB, selectors, and coach Gibson, is a monumental error that may soon see the ship crash on the dangerous rocks of possible new ICC rules, and sink to Associate status, if relegation is ever instituted.
As I recently wrote, Sammy has demonstrated an inability to bat – having averaged only nine runs in six World Cup innings. He also cannot even bowl as well as the other junior players on the team.
He lacks the respect of the team members, not only because he is seen a reporter for and puppet of the WICB, the selectors, and the coach, but also because he has frequently placed his selfish interests above the needs of the team.
An example of Sammy’s selfishness is what he did subsequent to his dismal display in the field against England, where he bowled three overs for 28 runs – at a cost of 9.33 runs per over.
Sammy rushed off the field and dictated that he was going to bat third. This upset the team members, disrupted their focus and batting plans, and ultimately pushed Sarwan down to the sixth spot.
He then did as coach Gibson ordered, which is to hit over the top, be aggressive, and try to score faster. Unfortunately, he was comprehensively bowled after facing just 29 deliveries, and WI were all out with more than five overs to go.
However, most importantly, Sammy has never earned a place on the team and he certainly lacks the strategic and tactical acumen to captain it.
Other than these ‘minor’ shortcomings, the WICB, selectors, and coach Gibson, see him as the perfect man, during this critical juncture of WI cricket, to lead the team.
The senior players are being dismissed out of hand by Gibson and the selectors Clyde Butts, Courtney Browne, and Robert Haynes. It is well known that Chanderpaul does not want to be the captain, having given up that job several years ago, and Sarwan has never been given a fair shot at it.
But what of Gayle? Even as he confronted Gibson about the latter’s disparaging comments to the media about him, Gayle reiterated that he wanted to remain captain of the WI team.
The team holds Gayle in high esteem and likes him immensely. Additionally, it was under the Gayle’s captaincy that the WI cricket team began to garner some of its biggest wins in the past few years,
However, Gibson had Gayle stripped of the captaincy and it was given to Sammy, a player who cannot even earn a place on the team based on merit, but who nevertheless, has the full support of Gibson.
After their unceremonious exit from the 2011 World Cup following a 10-wicket loss to Pakistan in Mirpur, Gibson said, “I don’t expect to see a change in leadership at all.”
It is clear to everyone, except the coach, selectors, and the WICB, that Sammy has not performed as a leader, or with the bat and ball in the World Cup. The term “All-rounder” does not mean mediocrity in ALL aspects of the game!
Sammy was appointed captain in October 2010, prior to the tour of Sri Lanka. Since then, he has had multiple mediocre performances, in both Test and ODI cricket. Thus it begs the question, why is Sammy still in the team, much less retained as its captain?
His poor performances, his failure to solicit the opinion of the senior cricketers, combined with his dismissive attitude towards their advice when it is offered to him on the field, plus his disruption of the team’s balance, means that there should be no more captain Sammy!
The removal of Sammy from the captaincy will also remove him from the team, allowing him the opportunity to concentrate on developing his cricketing skills to try and earn a place on the team.
While it is easy to blame Sammy, he is really not at fault for accepting the job, for who among us would turn down such a prestigious position The people who are mainly to blame are coach Gibson, the selectors, and the WICB.
Thus, it is long past time for Gayle to be reinstated as the captain of the WI cricket team. For the good of our most popular regional sport, it should be done now.
Rodwell Fordyce

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