Watch: Darren Sammy gives Shane Watson a thumping reply

Darren Sammy, the West Indies skipper in the shortest format of the game, is a brilliant cricketer and a showman of sorts. Known to play cameos in tricky situations, Sammy brings the kind of flair which is typical of a cricketer from the Caribbean.  A useful medium pace bowler, Sammy is also a brilliant fielder. A complete package for the shorter formats of the game, Sammy also featured in Test cricket for the West Indies.

After having played only eight Tests, Sammy was made captain of the Test side taking over from Chris Gayle in October 2010 after Gayle turned down a WICB central contract. One of these Test matches he captained the team in was an absolute thriller against old rivals Australia. Five years after Australia won the World Cup in a farcical finish in the dark at Kensington Oval in Barbados, they again celebrated a victory there in fading light as the first Test in 2012 went to the wire on the fifth afternoon.

Set 192 to win in two sessions, the Australians started their chase slowly and were almost derailed by middle-order wickets, but Michael Hussey’s calm and rational approach ensured they narrowly outpaced the setting sun to win by three wickets. One of the high points of the match was Sammy’s duel with Shane Watson which made for a bracing sight on the second day of the match.

It was the first innings of the home side and both men exchanged stares in between bouncers, sixes and boundaries. One of the deliveries struck the right-hander on his head and left him grounded. Sammy’s reply off the next ball was an elegant straight six in a moment of pure nerve. His knock of 41 included 4 fours and 3 sixes.

Watch: Darren Sammy gives Shane Watson a thumping reply: