Giving amnesty to players is not a solution util WIC pay cricketers: Darren Sammy

World T20 winning former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy said that offering help to Windies cricketer is not a solution if they are not paid by the West Indies Cricket Board. He also said that as the team failed to qualify to grab a direct spot at the 2019 World Cup is the lowest point in Caribbean cricket.

He named the former WICB CEO Michael Muirhead and director Richard Pybus as the two who initiated the downgrade in the situation with their ‘West Indies first policy’. Cutting the salary of the players and then also asking them not to play elsewhere where they are paid much better.

“That’s the problem,” Sammy was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “When it all started with the past CEO [Michael Muirhead] and (former) director of cricket Richard Pybus, he said ‘West-Indies-first policy’. But you say West Indies first, but the first thing you do you cut the salaries. That doesn’t work. You telling guys ‘don’t go and play elsewhere [where] they pay much better, stay at home,’ but the first thing you’re doing is you cut the salaries playing at home,” he added.

Mutual understanding between cricketers and WIC is required

The all-rounder also said that by giving amnesty, the board is not solving the problem standoff between the T20 players and board. He also believed that they can have a mutual understanding or a contract that allows them to play for both Windies and T20 Leagues.

“I think if you tell guys you have two or three tournaments a year where you get to choose. We give you a white-ball contract or your red-ball contracts, well the retainer contracts. You come back you play home (domestic cricket). If IPL is playing, those who have the contract to play in IPL you go and play. Those not in the IPL you stay home and play,” Sammy stated.

“Then you have the Pakistan Super League, where the lesser guys tend to filter into that league. So you say ‘okay, you play here, those not playing in that league you have to return.’ And you make the retainer contract something attractive.”

2019 World Cup qualification is at risk

Earlier this year West Indies failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy for the first time in their history and now are facing the bigger issue as they failed to qualify for the World Cup directly and will head to Zimbabwe for next year’s World Cup qualifiers. Though Sammy wasn’t happy with the failure, he said that the team will still earn the spot.

“It’s something I spoke about. I was afraid that we would not make into the Champions Trophy, we didn’t, and now to this,” Sammy said. “Hopefully Jason [Holder] and his men can go down to Zimbabwe in March and get to the finals, and assure that there won’t be another ICC event without West Indies,” he stated.