Darren Sammy: Should the West Indian Cricket Board have retained him as captain?

A captain plays a similar role. First and foremost, to be a good captain he should be a regular player in the side, that is the pre-requisite. Secondly, he should be able to bridge the gap between the players and the board, meaning he should be a good communicator, a person who can be approached when a player has certain grievances, and to put in a word to the board, or someone the board can count on to get the word across to the players when they want a few goals accomplished. And most importantly, he should be a leader, in the true sense of the word. As a leader, he should be able to lead by example, he must be fearless and determined to take his team across the finish line, to be able to lift the team in times of adversity and share the spoils in times of joy, to take criticism positively and work towards improving the team, and himself. That is a true leader.

Darren Sammy is one such player. He was chosen as the captain when West Indies were going through a ‘transition period’, as a successor to Chris Gayle, one of West Indies’ and the world’s most accomplished batsman. His selection came as a consequence of Gayle and Bravo not signing their contract extensions with the Board, which led to the two of them not being selected for the tours at the time. The lack of senior players, along with the wish of the remaining seniors to not take up the captaincy, led to the projection of Sammy as the prime candidate, and he didn’t disappoint. He worked hard with the team and built a strong foundation on which his future successors could grow and maybe one day bring glory to the nation. Even when they won the T20 World Cup in 2012, he didn’t wish to hit back at his doubters; instead he took the criticism in his stride and worked towards achieving the impossible. Such was the quality of the man, fighting for his team even through adversity, and coming out on top. He wears the crest of his nation on his sleeve with pride, and he led them with honour. His captaincy may have been the best thing to happen to the West Indies since Brian Lara, but he never once made anyone feel it; one of the virtues a person looks for in a captain.

Recent performances from the West Indies have shown that they are a team in a good position to regain their status as a super power in world cricket – extremely talented youngsters and gritty seniors, they have it all. The only thing stopping them is the captaincy, or lack of it. Darren Sammy seemed to be the answer to that problem. Being brilliantly adept at pacifying struggling team-mates and spurring on the successful ones, Sammy could do it all. His performances in the T20 World Cup speak volumes of his abilities as a captain. Trusting his brigade of youngsters against established players from other nations, he slowly nurtured them into one of the most formidable group of players, especially in the T20 format. The way in which he performed and captained the side in the T20 World Cup is a testament to his capabilities. He may not be a born leader, but he sure did grow into the role. His ouster from the position in the ODI format was met with a lot of questions, just like his appointment, but no matter how much controversy he faces, he will still be the one man that brought the West Indies World Cup triumph after 33 years.

Coming to the issue of Dwayne Bravo becoming the captain, we shouldn’t judge his reign as skipper this soon. Bravo’s experience should be taken into account before any decision is taken on his future as captain, because if the confidence shown by the board in him goes down, his performances may take a hit, and the WICB cannot afford to let him become a ‘lost asset’. Until then, I personally feel Sammy is best equipped to lead this wonderfully talented team for the near foreseeable future. Call me a hypocrite, but I do believe Bravo should be given a decent amount of time to prove his mettle as well. Should he succeed, it will only benefit the whole country; and should he fail, they still have Plan B – bring back Sammy. Whatever happens from here on will determine where West Indian cricket is going to go, but till then, it’s safe to say that the future of West Indian cricket is in safe hands. Bravo or Sammy, the future looks rosy for the once mighty Caribbean nation.