No prospect for big names to represent West Indies again: Darren Sammy

The last time former Windies captain Darren Sammy played for the national team was when he led the side to victory in the 2016 World Twenty20 in India. The absence of star players like Chris Gayle and all-rounder Marlon Samuels in the Test and one-day squads is because Cricket West Indies picks players for the international sides only if they feature in that format domestically.

Sammy warned that these leading players will continue to favour playing in Twenty20 tournaments around the world ahead of representing the West Indies. The region’s top players appear in the Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 tournament but their first-class and one-day competitions often clash with far more lucrative Twenty20 events elsewhere in the world, hence they choose to opt for the leagues instead.

Persistent troubles with WICB

Time and again, the all-rounder has expressed his problems with the WICB and their administration. His speech after the side won the final last year was an emotional one, expressing the problems the side had to go through in order to play, most of them being the lack of financial security for the players. He believes there’s no prospect of the big names returning to international duty any time soon.

“With the current administration I don’t see that happening,” Sammy told BBC Radio Five Live on Monday. “I can’t tell a player not to play in a league when it could make them financially stable to look after their family,” the 33-year-old added.

West Indies won the World T20 in 2012 and 2016, but have seen a decline in cricket’s other formats lately. They are currently eighth in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings and ninth in the ODI standings — a position that saw them fail to qualify for this month’s Champions Trophy in England and Wales.

While Pakistan as a side were facing the problem of a weakening team in the limited-overs format, they have silenced critics after their performance at the Champions Trophy. West Indies previously had the kind of players that every team dreamed of having, but they now face a similar problem of a weakening side. However, Sammy does not believe that things are going to get better for them like they did for Pakistan.

“The way we structure our cricket, we’re not going anywhere,” Sammy added. “I’m very scared we will be relegated to be playing against Ireland and Scotland. It’s very sad for us. If you really have West Indies cricket at heart you will have the right players for all the formats playing and helping you get to tournaments,” he concluded.